


After All This Time

by ThatDamnCajun



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-27 15:01:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10027034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnCajun/pseuds/ThatDamnCajun
Summary: Once high school sweethearts, Regina and Emma now face the troubling challenge of attending their 15 year reunion after a heart wrenching break up in college. How will they manage after seeing each other for the first time in 12 years?





	1. Regina's Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. First of all, thank you to each and every one of you what is reading this. This is my first fanfiction so be gentle in the reviews. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy. I do not own OUAT or any of it's characters.

* * *

 

_You have been invited to the fifteen year reunion of the Storybrooke High graduating class of 2000. Please RSVP as soon as possible._   
_Sincerely,_   
_Mary Margaret Blanchard, Class President_

Those were the only words that the brunette woman registered. The rest of the words were fuzzy and unimportant. The letter began to crinkle as her fingers tightened their hold. Had it already been fifteen years since her high school graduation? She mentally began to count the years and groaned softly as she realized that it had indeed been that long. She set the small stack of folders that had been occupying her other hand down on the desk before taking a seat behind the large wooden blockade.

There was a quick knock on the office door before Kathryn entered holding an identical letter in her hand. Her smile faded slightly as she looked from her friend’s hand to her sullen expression.

The two women had been friends since childhood, graduating high school together before both choosing to take the legal course of study in college. After college, they decided to move to New York to live out their ambitious dreams.

“You don’t seem to be thrilled about the letter.” Kathryn said as she took a seat in front of the desk. “Why?”

“I cannot attend,” she answered with a shake of her head. Her hand never loosened its grip. “She might be there.”

“She who?”

“You know which she I’m referring to.” At her friend’s still blank expression, she clenched her jaw in frustration before letting out a sigh. “Emma.” The name on her tongue tasted like bile.

Kathryn’s eyes twinkled with amusement as she looked at her friend, lips pulling back into a small smirk before she spoke.

“Regina, I think you are being ridiculous. Not only that, but I think you are being childish as well.” At Regina’s eyebrows lifting towards her hairline, Kathryn continued. “I’ve been to both our five and ten year reunion. This is the same excuse you gave for both of those as well. As I’ve told you before, she did not go to either of them. She probably won’t be at this one as well.”

“But what if she decided to go to this one?” Regina asked, her voice unusually soft as she stared back down at the invitation.

“So what if she does? It’s been, what, twelve years since the two of you split? You need to go and if she just so happens to be there, then you need to show her everything she has missed out on.”

Regina felt her lips pull back into a small smile. “Well, I guess I could go. It would give me a chance to visit with my mother. And I wouldn’t mind gloating about my accomplishments.”

“Aha. Now there is the Regina Mills that I know and love.” Kathryn grinned. She looked back down at the letter. “It says that there are events planned for the whole weekend. Check-in and drinks the Friday night, dancing the Saturday night, then a goodbye brunch Sunday morning. You think the dance will be like a mock prom?”

Regina had tuned her friend out as she talked, her mind wandering to the woman whose name tasted sour upon her tongue and how their story had begun.

_October 1997_

_The lights in the school gym flickered as lightning flashed across the eerily dark sky immediately followed by a loud crack of thunder that vibrated through the floor. Regina and the rest of the cheerleaders were on the sideline of the gym, attempting to get a fraction of some form of practice time in. They shared the gym with the girls and boys basketball teams who were currently practicing together given the weather predicament._

_The brunette stood off to the side as she watched her captain demonstrate the new routine, silently counting out the beat as she committed the moves to memory. Once the captain was done, the rest of the girls fell in line and did a rough run through._

_Half an hour passed and a few of the girls stopped for a water break. Regina stayed and ran through the routine one last time. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she got the nagging feeling that someone was watching her. As she finished the routine, Kathryn approached her with a water bottle._

_“Don’t look now, but I think you have an admirer,” she playfully teased._

_Regina took the water bottle and drank from it heavily as she turned slightly to look out onto the court. Her chocolate colored eyes instantly locked with those of jade belonging to the lanky blonde standing rooted in the middle of the court._

_The lights cut out just before lightning lit up the gym. The crash of thunder came next. As the lights flickered back on, Regina was still maintaining eye contact with the blonde girl. There was a shout and suddenly the girl was on the floor, tangled up with one of the boys._

_“Gee, Emma. Are you alright? I didn’t see you there,” the boy said as he reached down and helped her back to her feet. Her eyes went back to the spot where Regina had been standing moments before, but the spot was empty._

_“Yeah,” she said, feeling the heat of embarrassment warm her cheeks. “I’m fine.”_

_As Regina walked into the locker room after witnessing the incident, she smiled as she heard the boy speak to the blonde. Emma._

“Hello? Earth to Regina.”

The brunette shook her head as she was drawn back to reality by her friend’s insistent snapping. She glanced around at her surroundings. Kathryn sitting on the front side of her desk, folders to her right, the reunion invitation still clutched in her hand.

“Did you hear anything I just said?”

“What? No. I’m sorry.”

“I said,” Kathryn began with a roll of her eyes, “are you going to bring a date or are you going alone?

Regina scrunched up her face in mild confusion as she stared at her friend. What kind of question was that? Kathryn was well aware of her love life, or rather lack thereof. She hadn’t been in a relationship since quite a few years past and it had been months since another had warmed her bed.

“If you are trying to be amusing, please stop. You are failing miserably.” She finally released her hold on the invitation and tried to smooth the crinkles out before putting it in the safety of her top left drawer.

“I’m just saying that maybe if you had a nice looking fellow or lady on your arm, that maybe it would make Emma jealous.”

“You just told me that Emma would most likely not be attending the reunion. Now you are making suggestions as to how to make her jealous. Do you want me to go or not because you are fighting for both causes right now.” One perfectly sculpted eyebrow lifted in question as she stared her friend down, folding her hands together on top of her desk.

“Of course I want you to attend.” Kathryn huffed. “You haven’t been to any of the other reunions and I bet you haven’t seen most of those people since our graduation day. Please, please, please come to the reunion.”

Regina sat in silence as she contemplated the pros and cons in her head. If she didn’t go, well that would just start a round of gossip around the small town. If she did attend, she would be able to see how everyone prospered or faulted in their lives. But if Emma was there…. She pushed the thought from her head. To hell if Emma showed up. She wasn’t going to let that infuriating woman keep her from enjoying herself.

“Alright, I’ll go to the reunion.”

Kathryn let out a squeal of delight before she rounded the desk to hug her friend. “This is great! I can’t wait to call Mary Margaret and let her know.”

The blonde left the office in a flash. Regina sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Maybe accepting had been a bad idea after all.


	2. Emma's Letter

Emma pulled open the door to her office with a yawn.  She quickly covered her mouth as she shook her head and lifted the neckline of her shirt up to wipe at her watering eyes.  The large black lettering of her advertising agency greeted her, as they had done five days a week for the past 8 years.  It wasn’t something she had planned on doing.  While in college, she had studied criminal justice with the full intent of seeking a job in law enforcement, preferably something along the lines of a bounty hunter.  Or a bail bondsperson if she had to be technical.  That had worked out fine for the first few years until she realized she had more important things in her life and a more sensible job with more reasonable hours was what she needed.

It was her roommate, August, who had first brought the idea to her attention.  He had seen a few of her absentminded doodles around the apartment and they were good.  More than good, they were fantastic.  So he had posed the idea about the two of them entering into the business together.  His pitch being that with Emma’s artistic skills and his overly capable writing ability, the two of them could advertise for other companies; Emma with the art and him with the slogans.  It had been a rough few months in the beginning, but business had quickly taken off as one friend told another friend who told another friend.  Ever since then, business had been great.

Emma’s first order of business upon entering the office as to acquire a cup of coffee as soon as possible.  She held the mug to her lips as she sipped slowly, smiling against the rim as the warmth radiated from her belly outward.  Another sip and she was confident she could face her coworkers for at least the next few hours until she was feeming for her lunch break.  She made her way to where the desks were set up, leaning against her own as she watched her roommate and coworker read a letter.

“You could’ve woken me up this morning instead of letting me sleep past my alarm,” she told him as she took another sip of the heavenly tasting elixir.

“Oh, I have a feeling you are going to need all the extra sleep you can get.” August said.  His gaze lifted from the letter he had been reading with a slow smirk.

“Oh?”  Her eyebrows lifted in question.

“Oh yeah.”  He turned the letter around to show her the familiar letterhead from her past.  “You have been invited to your fifteen year reunion.  And this year, you are going.”

Reunion. Fifteen years.  Highschool.  Storybrooke.  Regina.

_Emma rubbed the sore spot on her rear from where she had landed on the hard floor of the gym just minutes earlier.  She slung the gym bag over her shoulder as she shuffled into the locker room with the rest of the female basketball players.  The lights dimmed briefly as another round of thunder chasing lightening happened outside the walls.  What was the point of changing into her regular clothes if she had ridden her bike to school that morning?  She let out a sigh as she turned to walk back out of the locker room towards her watery doom before stopping short as she came face to face with brown eyes.  Her eyes._

_“Emma, right?” the chocolate eyed girl asked._

_“Uh, yeah,” Emma answered somewhat nervously._

_Those chocolate eyes shone as her lips pulled back to reveal a damn near perfect smile.  Her hand extended towards Emma as she spoke.  Emma was captivated by the girl’s features.  It took her a second to catch on to her motions and realize that she had stopped talking.  What was it she had just said?_

_“Regina.” Emma repeated as she shook the girl’s hand.  It was at that moment that she declared the girl’s name to be her new favorite word.  It felt goof upon her tongue.  The girl, Regina, had started to talk again._

_“You took a pretty nasty fall back there.  Are you okay?”_

_“Huh? Oh, yeah.  I’m fine.  Nothing that hasn’t happened before.”_

_She noticed Regina’s eyes lower to look at the placement of her other hand.  It was still absently rubbing the sore spot on her bottom.  She quickly dropped it with a slight flush._

_“Be that as it may,” Regina began, eyeing Emma with slight amusement. “I don’t think you would be comfortable riding your bike like that.  Besides, it’s pouring down outside.  The bike seems out of the question.  So, I figured I could offer you a ride home.”  At Emma’s delay to give an answer, she continued.  “And a ride back here on Monday since you won’t have your bike?”_

_Emma nodded, finally getting her wits about her.  “That…. That would be great.  Thank you so much.”_

_“I’ll meet you out by the backdoors when you finish.”  Regina said with a smile as she turned and left the locker room._

_Emma stood in the same spot for a few minutes after the exchange.  The girl that had caught her attention had actually spoken to her.  Not only that, but she had offered Emma a ride home in the storm.  And even a ride back to school when classes resumed the following Monday since her mode of transportation would be left behind.  She was pulled from her thoughts as one of the other girls playfully pushed her towards the showers, stating that she smelt awful._

_She had never showered and changed so fast in her life, she thought, hauling the bag onto her shoulder and walking back out into the gym.  She walked the length of the building, heading straight towards the backdoors that lead to the student parking area.  Regina was waiting for her still dressed in her t-shirt and shorts, but with the addition of a jacket to help shield her from the onslaught of rain they were about to face.  They didn’t speak as there was a slight slack in the rain and they made a break towards Regina’s car._

_She fumbled with the car keys, dropping them once before finally unlocking her door and hopping in.  She leaned across the console to unlock the passenger side door and Emma got in, completely sopping wet._

_“I’m so sorry.  I’m not usually that clumsy.” Regina apologized.  A smile played on her lips as she opened her bag and pulled out the towel she hadn’t used that afternoon to hand to Emma._

_The blonde took the towel with a word of thanks as she passed it over her skin and hair before lifting her hips to place it under her, hoping to stop the water from damaging the seat._

_“You know you didn’t have to offer me a ride, right?” Emma said.  Her fingers began to fidget with the hem of her shirt._

_“Do you always do that?”  Regina chose to ignore Emma’s question, instead gesturing to the hem of the shirt._

_“Only when I’m nervous around pretty girls.” Emma’s eyes widened as she gripped her shirt tighter.  Had she really just admitted that?  She opened her mouth to say more but was stopped by a raised hand and an amused expression._

_“I’ll take that as a compliment.”_

_The small smirk never left Regina’s face as she drove from the school parking lot, following Emma’s directions.  She figured the blonde couldn’t live too far away from the school if she rode her bike every day.  But then again the girl was in great physical shape and could probably get away with biking to school from the edge of town without breaking a sweat.  Emma proved her former thoughts to be correct as she turned into the driveway of a home that resided just a small handful of blocks away from the education building._

_“Thanks again.  For the ride.” Emma paused. “And for not laughing when I got pushed down.”_

_Regina gave her one of those heart stopping smiles.  “It was nothing.  I didn’t know the Alberts had any kids.”_

_“They don’t.” Emma said with a shake of her head.  “I’m a foster kid.  Only been with them for about two months now.  They’re really great people.”_

_“That could be why I’ve never really seen you around before.”_

_Emma nodded.  “Yeah. Well I better get along.  Thanks for the ride.  Again.”  She reached for the door handle._

_“Wait.”  Regina opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, quickly scribbling two slightly different sequences of numbers before handing it to Emma.  “The first is my home number.  The second is for the line in my bedroom.  You know, so we can talk before Monday morning.”_

_Emma stared down at the piece of paper before carefully folding it and placing it in her bag so it wouldn’t get damaged in the rain.  She gave Regina a smile and a nod before clutching her bag tightly and exiting the car, quickly running to the safety the front porch could give her._

_She stayed there as she watched the car back from the driveway before heading off in the opposite direction.  Only after the tail lights disappeared after a left turn did she enter the house, a goofy lopsided grin on her face.  The girl that she had admired from afar since the first day of school had not only acknowledged her presence, but had also given her a phone number.  Two phone numbers, in fact.  She was definitely going to call before Monday._

“And what makes you think I’m going to go to this one when I haven’t gone to the others?”  She lifted the mug to her lips as she lifted a questioning eyebrow at August.  She didn’t like the look she received in return.

“Because you have no valid excuses this time.  And you haven’t been to any of the others either.  You need to go and show everyone who you’ve become.”

“I haven’t become anyone different than who I was in high school.”  August gave her a knowing look to which she held up a halting finger. “I’m still just Emma Swan.  I still doodle.  Only now it’s a full time job.  And that’s about it.  I’m still just Emma.”

“Well ‘just Emma’, you are still going.  I’ve already called and booked you a room at the bed and breakfast.  And when we get home I’m going to help you pick out what outfits you need to grab attention.”

“And whose attention and I supposed to be grabbing?”

“Why that of a certain Regina Mills of course.”

Emma felt her heart sink as August said her name.  Despite her mind having gone back to her first important memory of Regina, she had done her best to not think about the woman since they had broken up in college.  It had been just before finals week of their fall semester in their junior year.  It had been nasty enough that she had resigned from the university after grades had been posted to begin the spring semester in Boston.  That had been the last time she had seen that hypocritically infuriatingly beautiful woman.  In the twelve years since, she had tried her damnedest to not let her cross her mind.

“I’m sure she doesn’t want to see me.  Besides, she’s probably married with a husband and 2.5 kids with a white picket fence.  You know, the American dream.”  She drank from her mug to get the bitterness of her words from her mouth.

“Or she does want to see you and she isn’t married.”  August shrugged as he set the paper down on the coffee table. “I already booked the room.  You have to go.  No refunds.  Just go for yourself and have fun.  Regina probably won’t even be there.  Last time I heard she was some fancy lawyer.  Reunions are beneath fancy lawyers.”

Emma gave August a half smile at his attempt to try to make her feel better about the reunion.

“What about-?”

“I’ll take care of it.  Don’t worry.  Think of this as your much deserved getaway.”

She eyed the letter sitting on the small table before her.  The royal blue letterhead of her original Alma Matta stared back at her.  It had been years since she had been back to that small sea-side town.  Ever since her foster parents had moved to the city, she really had never saw a definite reason to go back.  But maybe it was time to return to the first place she had ever really been able to call home.  Surely things had changed since that last time she had been in town.  She could almost taste Granny’s homemade apple pancakes already.

“Alright.  I’ll go.”


	3. The Beach House

_The two teenage girls had fallen into a friendship of sorts.  There would be occasional weekends spent indulging in the usual teenage activities; shopping, movies, and hanging out in general.  Their weekend adventures usually happened once a month where they could let loose and just be themselves, working on building a close friendship together._

_At school though, it was a different story.  Cheerleaders did not hang around with basketball players.  Their main focus was supposed to be on their football player boyfriends, one of which Regina did not have, nor did she want.  That didn’t stop one of the boys, Daniel, from constantly trying to make passes at her._

_Emma walked to an empty seat at the table in the cafeteria, setting her tray down gently so that she wouldn’t spill her food.  She had just taken a bite out of the fish stick as Regina walked past and sat two tables down, the love struck boy close on her heels._

_“Come on, Regina. One date. That’s all I’m asking for,” he said, sitting across from her with a pouty face._

_“Let’s say that I hypothetically accept your offer for this date.  Where do you plan on taking me?”  Regina set her elbow on the table, her hand curling under her chin as she rested her cheek on the back of the appendage.  She gave the boy a flirty smile, laying on the charm._

_“Okay, so I was thinking,” Daniel began with a wide grin. “I could pick you up and we could go and grab some burgers at Granny’s.”_

_“And then what?”  She gave him a smile before playfully biting her lower lip, earning a flush from the boy._

_“Um, and then.”  He swallowed thickly before trying again. “And then maybe we could go park down by the beach or by the woods on the edge of town. And you know, maybe make out or something.”_

_Regina watched him as she shifted a bit nervously in the seat.  “You want to know what I think about that?” she asked as she leaned closer to him.  He nodded and leaned towards her as well. “I think that is a preposterous idea.” She leaned back to sit upright, her posture impeccable. “Where did you even get the idea that I would even want to be alone with you?”_

_That wasn’t the reaction he had been waiting for. “Regina, come on.  You’re a cheerleader.  I’m a football player.  We are meant to be.  Besides, Kathryn told me that you totally had the hots for me.”  He looked a little smug at his last comment._

_She couldn’t resist rolling her eyes.  He was a pig and disgusted her. “No, Daniel.  I will not go to Granny’s with you.  I will not make out with you.  I will not date you.”_

_“Yeah, but-.”_

_“I believe she said no.” Emma said from behind Daniel.  She glared down at him.  “So I suggest leaving her alone to finish her lunch in peace.”_

_“No one asked for your input, Swan.” Daniel said as he stood from the table and sulked away from his apparent rejection._

_Regina stared at the blonde as she took the seat that Daniel had previously been occupying.  Emma lifted the milk to her lips and drank before speaking to her friend, taking another bite of her fish stick as she did._

_“That guy is such an asshole.  He always acts like he is entitled to everything just because he is a football player.”  She finally looked up to meet Regina’s eyes and her disgusted expression turned to one of concern. “Are you okay?”_

_“Hmm? Yeah.  I’m fine.  It’s just…” She chewed on her bottom lip, this time out of thought instead of flirtation. “No one has ever stood up for me like that before.  Not even Kathryn.”_

_“That’s what friends are for, right?”  Emma flashed her a cheesy smile before gently nudging her foot under the table._

_She didn’t see Regina’s small nod or her soft smile at the statement as she turned her full attention back to her lunch._

_Friends.  They were friends.  Yet she felt like there was so many things about Emma that she still didn’t know about that other friends surely knew about each other.  With the school year winding down, she knew exactly how she could get her and Emma some time to nurse their budding friendship._

**_May 1998_ **

_Regina lifted the deep red apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter and took a crisp bite, using the back of her hand to wipe the juice from the corner of her mouth.  She had just gotten home from her last day of her sophomore year of high school and she was exceptionally happy to be out of that dreadful place for the next couple of months._

_“Regina, there you are.”  Cora rounded the corner with a small notepad in her hand, checking off things that dealt with their upcoming vacation. “Darling, when do you plan on contacting Kathryn about coming along to the beach house?”_

_“I, uh, I don’t think I want Kathryn to come this year.”  She took another bite of the apple and noticed her mother’s startled expression. “No, no.  Nothing happened between us.  It’s just that I was thinking about asking Emma if she would like to come instead.  Her family doesn’t take vacations like we do and I thought she might enjoy it.”  She gave a small shrug as she finished talking._

_“Emma?  Is that the little blonde one that is sometimes over?”  Cora waved her hand as if that would help her remember. “She does seem like a rather sweet girl.  You need to let her know that we will be leaving next week.  Inform her of everything she will need to bring.  You know the procedure.”_

_Cora walked from the kitchen and Regina let out a breath she hadn’t even known she had been holding.  That had gone better than expected.  Now all she had to do was call Emma and ask.  But what if she said no? Then Regina’s entire plan on getting to know her better was going to fall through to nothing._

_She grabbed her car keys and moved from the house, quickly making her way across town on the route that had become familiar to her over the last few months.  She found Emma out in the driveway, shooting some hoops._

_“Hey.”  Regina said as she stepped out of the car._

_“You missed me so much since last seeing me a few hours ago that you had to come see me?”  Emma teased, holding the basketball to her side with her elbow. Regina could only shake her head with a smile._

_“We’re leaving next week to go to the beach house we rent every summer for a week.  My family and I.  I want you to come as my guest.”  Her confidence slowly began to fade as each moment passed without a response from Emma._

_“You want me to come on vacation with you?” she asked in disbelief.  “Shouldn’t you be asking Kathryn?”_

_“Kathryn comes every year.” She lifted her hand and waved away the thought. “She gets boring after a while, always talking about boys and such.  I want you to come this year.”_

_Emma was silent for a few more moments before a slow smile formed. “Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll come.”_

_There was that breath taking smile again and Emma was surprised she hadn’t swooned from the sight of it.  Regina gave her the rundown of how things were going to play out and instructed Emma to give her a call if she had any questions about the trip._

_“Oh, and Emma?” she asked as she began to climb back into the car.  She gave another genuine smile. “Thanks for coming along.”_

_It was then that Emma realized that she would do anything to see that beautiful smile of Regina Mills.  She vowed that nothing would be given the opportunity to wedge itself between them to break the bond that she was sure they would make._

**_June 1998_ **

_The first day down at the beach house passed with a blur.  Once the car pulled up in the driveway, Regina was eagerly tugging on Emma’s hand to give her a tour.  They had only just finished with the upstairs when Cora had called them to take their bags up to the room and begin to unpack.  Emma lifted her bag over her shoulder and followed Regina back up to the bedroom where they would be staying._

_Regina tossed the bag on the full sized bed that she would share with Emma, already digging through the contents until she pulled out the black bikini with a triumphant shout._

_“Come on. We still have some time before dinner to go down to the beach.” Regina quickly pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it onto the bed beside her bag.  She had her fingers hooked into the waistband of her shorts, wiggling them down her hips, before she looked up at Emma’s shocked expression. “Do you want me to turn around?” she asked softly._

_Emma caught her head and mumbled an apology as she turned her back to Regina, beginning to strip and slip into her own bathing suit.  Why had she been shocked?  Surely Regina was confident in her body.  And it wasn’t like she wasn’t always in a locker room full of half-naked girls.  But Regina, she was different.  Emma couldn’t explain it.  It was just a feeling she got in her gut when she turned back around to look at the brunette._

_She gave Emma a smile before grabbing her hand and practically dragging her out of the house and down the worn path to the beach.  She let go of the pale hand as she rushed into the cool water and dove beneath a wave, popping up after a moment and pushing wet hair from her face with a laugh._

_“Come on, Emma!”_

_Emma grinned as she ran into the water, her motions mirroring Regina’s previous ones as she let the wave knock her below the surface of the water.  She stood up in the waist deep water, coughing and sputtering.  She turned at the sound of the familiar laugh behind her before grinning once more and splashing salty water at the girl, sending them into a water fight._


	4. Welcome Back, Regina

Regina glanced down at her left wrist, giving it a small shake to get the face of the watch in a position that she could read the time. 5:32 pm.  She would be back in her hometown in just under half an house.  She had opted to work until noon before getting on the road to attend the reunion that she was suddenly having second thoughts about.

It was true what Kathryn had said.  She hadn’t been to any of the previous reunions, all with the same thought she had about this one.  What if Emma was there?  She hadn’t seen the blonde since they took their fall finals in their junior year of college.  Not since they were 21.  That was twelve years ago.  Not that she had counted or anything.

She shook her head as she pushed those thoughts from her head.  But how would Emma react to seeing her?  Would she be shocked to see the woman she had become or would she rub the past in her face like a childish person?  Her grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white at the pressure.  Of course Emma would probably rub it in her face.  Heck, that’s what she had been doing in college just minutes before Regina confronted her about it.

To hell with how Emma might react or what she might say.  She was the one who broke Regina’s heart.  The brunette had nothing to hide.  She was going to enjoy herself that weekend and not care about what Emma thought.

Hey eyes caught sight of the garment bag in the backseat through the rearview mirror and she couldn’t stop the smirk that crossed her lips.  At Kathryn’s insistent nagging, she had packed two dresses for the reunion.  The first would be what she would change into once she made it into town for drinks and socializing.  It was her grey dress with the asymmetric neckline accented with a thin belt around her waist.  The second dress was for the dance that would be on the Saturday night.  It was one of her personal favorite; her little black dress that stopped just above her knees, hugging her curves in all the right places.  Of course she had packed her red fuck-me heels to go with it.  Because if Emma Swan was going to be there, then Regina was going to make her regret everything she had thrown away those twelve years ago.

* * *

 

_Playing out in the water until dinner and returning until the last rays of sun light disappeared beyond the horizon had been a bad idea that both teenage girls regretted as they got ready for bed that night.  Emma had just finished brushing her teeth before heading back to the room.  The main light was off but the room was basked in the soft light of a bedside lamp.  Regina held up a bottle of lotion and gave Emma a pleading smile._

_“Could you rub this on my back?  I’ll rub you first?”_

_Emma let out a low laugh at the small pout Regina gave her before nodding and moving to the bed._

_“Get on your stomach.  And take off your shirt.”_

_Regina’s request was innocent enough, but it didn’t stop the faint blush from coloring Emma’s cheeks.  She kept her back to the brunette as she lifted the shirt carefully from her body and moved to her stomach on the bed._

_She felt the bed dip as Regina climbed on and straddled her, sitting on the back of her thighs as she squirted lotion into her hand.  Tentively, she dabbed a few places with generous amounts of the cool concoction before beginning to work it into the sunburnt skin.  Emma let out a low hiss at the contact and Regina whispered and apology._

_Despite the obvious reason, Emma’s skin felt on fire as Regina’s hands touched her.  She shivered slightly, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the fact that it would ease the burn and ignoring the fact that she would be doing the same to Regina in just a few minutes._

_A small popping sound make Emma’s eyes flutter open, taking notice to how the room was now engulfed in darkness._

_“The light burnt.  I’ll fix it in the morning.” Regina’s hands worked the sensitive flesh until all the lotion had disappeared.  She gave Emma a playful tap on her backside to let her know that she was finished. Grabbing her shirt, she sat up and pulled the tank top back on before taking the bottle from Regina._

_“Your turn.”_

_Regina didn’t waste any time with tossing her shirt to the side and lying face down on the bed.  Emma could just faintly make out the red burn against her naturally olive toned skin.  She moved closer and squirted the lotion straight onto her back, making her jump from the sudden cold feeling against her skin._

_Emma began working her fingers over the tender flesh, smiling softly as she felt Regina begin to relax under her skillful hands.  The room was quiet except for the sounds of their breathing when Regina let out a soft moan.  Emma’s finger stilled, waiting to see if the girl was going to respond to the noise._

_“Keep going.  That feels amazing.” Regina whispered, her voice sounding a bit groggy in her relaxed state._

_Emma cleared her throat. “Roll over,” she almost croaked.  Her nerves went through the roof as Regina rolled over beneath her, eyes still closed as she enjoyed the way her body was feeling._

_Emma swallowed hard as she took in the sight of her friend laying half naked before her.  She forced her eyes back to the lotion as she dabbed some on her fingertips and began to work it onto Regina’s upper chest and shoulders.  With her eyes having adjusted to the dark room, she could more clearly make out the distinction between normal and burnt flesh.  Her lotion covered finger traced along the line, following it over the swell of Regina’s breast.  She heard another soft moan and her eyes shot up to Regina’s face, taking notice of the wide eyes staring back at her._

_Her finger stilled as they stared as each other.  What was she doing?  They were supposed to be friends.  Nothing more._

_“’Gina.” Emma whispered softly, leaning down towards the brunette.  She hesitated slightly, eyes darting from full lips to wide eyes._

_“Emma,” Regina breathed._

_She lifted her head off the bed slightly and Emma leaned down the rest of the way.  Their lips met softly, moving together uncertainly.  Emma pulled back a fraction before crashing their lips back together.  This time it was more certain.  Her tongue pushed past partially parted lips to tangle with Regina’s, who thrust a hand into Emma’s hair to pull her closer as the kiss deepened._

_As if getting slapped back into reality, Regina’s eyes popped open and she pushed Emma away.  The blonde scrambled backward until she sat on the edge of the bed._

_“Oh my gosh, Regina.  I’m so sorry.”  Her voice was shaky as she spoke.  She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them as she watched Regina pull her shirt back on. “I don’t know what came over me.  That wasn’t supposed to happen.  I’ll…. I’ll go sleep in the living room.”  She untangled her limps and went to move off the bed when a hand on her wrist stopped her._

_“You don’t have to leave.”  The softness in Regina’s voice shocked herself.  She had just been kissed by her friend and it left her feeling…. She couldn’t describe it.  It was something she certainly had never felt before._

_“But Regina, I just-.”_

_“I’m well aware of what you just did.  If you remember, I was an active participant.  Can we just go to bed right now and talk about this tomorrow?”_

_Emma nodded her head and swallowed. “So you don’t hate me?  You aren’t mad at me?”_

_“No.”  Again, she was shocked by her answer.  Every fiber of her being told her that she should be furious with Emma.  That she should have slapped the blonde the minute their lips at met.  But had she not wanted that kiss?  Why would she have lifted her head up if she hadn’t?  This wasn’t her.  She was straight.  She had dated guys before and knew she was into everything they had to offer. But that kiss was different.  There was something about Emma Swan that she couldn’t put her finger on, but she was going to find out what it was._

* * *

 

Regina lifted a shaky hand to her lips.  That kiss, their first kiss, had been so long ago.  It had opened the doors for their relationship; no matter how much of a secret it was while they were still in high school.

After they had broken up, she had tried to play the field.  Believing Emma to have been a phase, Regina had graced the beds of plenty of guys while she was still in college.  Each time had always ended the same; unsatisfying and unfulfilling.  With the thought of not being into men in her mind, she instead began to see women.  It was the same song and dance.  Even when she did find someone who she felt was worthy of a relationship, she always found some reason to dump them and continue her life as a celibate hermit.  Kathryn was never happy about that.

The familiar “Welcome to Storybrooke” sign brought her back to reality.  If possible, she gripped the steering wheel tighter before letting out a slow, calming breath.  She loosened her hold slightly.  It was now or never and it was already too late to turn around and head back to the safely of her Albany apartment.  And with Kathryn not far behind her….

She soon saw the familiar town that had been her childhood home.  Sure, she would come for holidays, but the nostalgic feeling was ever-present as she drove through the small town before turning into the driveway of her old home. 108 Mifflin.


	5. Hello, Miss Swan

Emma hummed along to the radio as she moved down the long stretch of highway.  Storybrooke.  It had been a while since she had been back in that small town.  As long as it had been, she couldn’t deny the fact that she missed it.  It was the first place that she felt she actually belonged.  It was her first home.  Like the cliché saying goes, home is where the heart is.  And Emma had certainly left her heart in Storybrooke.

The large duffle bag was the only other occupant of the old beat up yellow bug, a graduation present from her foster parents.  They had truly tried to show Emma that they thought of her as being their child.  The blonde’s only response had been to cry as they handed over the keys.  Hers.  No one could take it away.

She lifted a cup to her mouth, lips wrapping around a straw before drinking, mind wandering to what she was going to do when she finally made it into town.  Maybe have one of Granny’s burgers.  Her stomach rumbled in favor of that idea.  Or perhaps just ride around and see how much the town had changed.  But then again, it was Storybrooke, and she doubted much had.

Before she knew it, she was pulling up in front of the old diner.  She inhaled deeply as she closed the door of her rust bucket, her baby, and smiled.  Yes, this was home.  Her feet were already moving and before she could register what was going on she heard the familiar bell chime over the door and she found herself sitting at the counter.

Gosh that counter.  How many times had she sat in that exact same spot and talked with Ruby and Granny, or shared a milkshake with Regina, or worked on homework with Regina.  She pushed a hand through her hair as she sighed.  There were way too many memories of her and Regina here.  Before she could get up and move away, the figure talking before her made her stall.

“Long time since you’ve last been here, Emma.”

She looked up to the warm and smiling face of Granny before her face broke out in a grin.  She sat back down and leaned across the counter to accept the hug being offered to her.

“It certainly has.  Doesn’t seem like much has changed.”

“Because it hasn’t.”  Granny admitted with a laugh. “I think the most exciting thing that’s happened in the last ten years has been the passing of Mayor Mills.”

Emma’s mouth dropped. “R-Regina’s dad died?”  Her voice was barely above a whisper as her eyes stared widely at the older woman before her.

“About six year ago this upcoming August.  You didn’t know?”  Granny asked, confused. “You and Regina used to be so close.  I had thought she would’ve told you.”

“We kinda went our separate ways before finishing college. Haven’t really spoken to her in a while.”  Lies.  She hadn’t spoken to the woman she had been so in love with since she had broken up with Emma those many years ago.

“Well you’ll have time to catch up at the reunion.  I saw her drive past maybe twenty minutes before you pulled up.”

Emma felt her gut tighten at that sentence.  Regina was there.  In Storybrooke.  For the reunion.  But why?  She knew the brunette hadn’t attended the other two, so why was this one any different?

_Same reason you came to this one, Swan.  You thought she wouldn’t be here.  She thought you wouldn’t be either._

Noting Granny’s concerned expression, she forced a smile on her face.  “Could I get the key to my room?  I really should freshen up before heading down to the Rabbit Hole for drinks.”

Granny nodded and gave Emma the key.  She grabbed her duffle bag out of the bug and went up to her room, flopping back onto the bed after she kicked the door closed with her foot.  And she groaned.  Loudly.  Because she didn’t know how she was going to face Regina after everything they had been through.

Maybe she could just avoid the woman.  They had graduated with plenty of people.  Surely there was a chance that they wouldn’t even run into each other.  Yeah, that was a good plan.  Operation Avoid Regina.  Sure, it wasn’t original, but it was good enough.

Reluctantly, Emma rose from the bed and gave herself a once over in the mirror, passing a hand through her blonde locks and pushing it back off her face.  She wore her typical outfit of a tank top and form fitting jeans that were tucked into calf high boots.  It was good enough.  Besides, she wasn’t there to impress anyone.  And the one person she would even try to impress was the one person she hoped she wouldn’t come across.

It was a good thing they were meeting at the Rabbit Hole.  Emma knew that she was going to need a few drinks to make it through the night.

* * *

 

_The next day had drug on, leaving both girls anxious to have the conversation that they so desperately needed and wanted.  That conversation found itself being had late in the evening after Regina’s parents had retired for the night.  Regina sat up by the headboard sitting cross legged as she looked across the bed at Emma sitting at the foot.  Her legs were pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, hugging them to her tightly.  Her defensive pose when she was in an uncomfortable situation.  Much like the one she currently found herself in._

_“So, you’re gay?”  Regina’s voice was soft and lacked the judging undertone that Emma had grown to pick up, no matter how subtle it may have been._

_Emma nodded from the other end of the bed.  “I should’ve told you a long time ago.  But it never seemed to fit in any of our conversations.”  She tried to give Regina a half smile, but the fear of rejection was clear in her eyes._

_“How long have you been crushing on me?”_

_“Since I first saw you when I came here.  Late August?  I…. I don’t know what it was.  But something about you just called out to me.  It was like this nagging feeling of I just had to get to know you.”  Emma gave her an apologetic look. “I totally get it, though.  You don’t feel the same, obviously.  I didn’t figure you would.”_

_“I don’t know.”_

_“You don’t know what?”  Emma asked, watching her._

_“I don’t know that I don’t feel the same.”  Regina bit her lower lip with a faint blush beginning to color her cheeks.  “I’m not gay.  At least, I don’t think I am.  I like boys.  I like everything about them.  But there is something about you, Emma. Something I don’t quite understand.  I felt it that day I offered you a ride home when it was raining.  That feeling has only gotten stronger since that day.  I don’t know what it is.”_

_They sat in silence after that, watching the other as they both shifted awkwardly, gazes catching before quickly looking off in another direction._

_“So,” Emma swallowed.  “What do you suppose we should do?”_

_“Kiss me.”_

_Emma’s head shot up at the words, staring at the brunette with confused disbelief. “I… You… What?”_

_“Kiss me.  Again.  So I can see if I feel something for you.”_

_Emma felt her mouth open and close repeatedly, not noticing that Regina was inching herself closer to the blonde.  “Um, okay,” she agreed, moving to meet her in the middle of the bed._

_They sat facing each other, Emma’s tongue darting out to run along her suddenly dry lips while Regina bit her own bottom one nervously.  Emma reached out and placed her hands on Regina’s legs, leaning close until their faces were but a breath apart.  Then she faltered._

_“Oh for the love of.” Regina closed the distance between them, their lips finally meeting._

_Emma’s eyes widened at the bold move the brunette made, but didn’t pull back.  Her eyes closed as she felt hands move into her hair.  And she chuckled against soft, full lips as she felt those hands tighten and pull her closer.  She was surprised and let out a small noise as she felt Regina’s tongue push forward between her parted lips, her own hands moving from legs to waist, pushing more against Regina.  The two tumbled back, the sound of Regina’s head hitting the wooden headboard loud in the silent room.  They broke apart as she held her head and let out a low hiss of pain._

_“Are you okay?  Jeeze, Regina, I’m sorry.” Emma said.  Concern was heavily etched into her features before melting away as laughter began to bubble out of her.  Regina soon joined in and the two sat dissolving in a fit of giggles._

_“That’s a first.”  Regina laughed, wiping at her eyes as she began to calm down._

_“So…?”  Emma pressed, eyeing the girl._

_“I think something’s there,” she nodded, smiling at Emma.  “Then again, I hit my head and may be talking out of delusion.”_

_She gasped as the pillow collided with the side of her head.  She sent Emma a pair of eyes, though her glare held no sting.  Emma gave her an innocent smile._

_“So, Miss Mills.  Since I feel something for you and you feel something for me, maybe we can make this thing an ‘us’?”_

_Regina turned her face away, suddenly looking unsure. “I… Emma, my parents.  They wouldn’t approve.  Not of something like this.”_

_Emma reached forward and took her  hand into her own.  “They don’t have to know,” she whispered. “No one has to know.  It can be between just us.”  Her hands moved to cup olive cheeks gently, leaning in to place a soft kiss upon full lips.  “I really want this.”_

_“I want this, too.”  Regina’s words shocked her.  Yes, she wanted it.  But she knew it would have to remain a secret between her and Emma.  No one else could find out.  “I want to be with you.”_

_And Emma’s grin was the best response she ever could’ve gotten._

* * *

 

Emma stepped into the bar, the loud noise making her wince slightly.  There was a small table to her right for people to check themselves in and grab a nametag.  Apparently after fifteen years no one would recognize their former classmates.  She grabbed her tag and slapped it on her shirt, taking notice that Regina’s nametag was already missing.  She glanced around the room and swallowed hard.

Regina was here.  At the Rabbit Hole.  Right now.  Emma saw the empty seat at the bar next to a dark haired woman in a grey dress and black heels.  She could seek refuge there and hopefully go unnoticed.  As she moved closer, she noticed a glass of amber liquid sitting before the woman.  Probably Scotch.  That seemed like a good idea.

She sat and got the bartender’s attention.  “I’ll have what she’s having.  But a double.”  She pointed to the drink to her left.  The bartender nodded before fixing the drink and setting it on a napkin in front of her.  She gave a small smile as she lifted the glass to her lips and took a hearty swig of the alcoholic beverage.

“Hello there, Miss Swan,” came the throaty voice of the woman beside her.

She choked on the drink, covering her mouth quickly to avoid spilling it everywhere.  That voice.  She knew that voice.  Though it was more mature sounding, it still held that familiar raspiness to it.  The woman calmly lifted the glass to her mouth, red painted lips wrapping around the rim to take a slow sip.  Emma coughed once, clearing her throat.  Her mind was racing.  Should she just get up and run?  No, they were both adults.  They could manage this.

“Hey Regina.”  Her voice was softer than she anticipated.  She mentally kicked herself and cleared her throat once more, hoping to sound better when she spoke next.  “It’s been a long time.”

“Indeed it has.”  She stayed staring straight ahead, not trusting herself to turn and face the blonde. It had been too long, so long, since they had last seen each other, but the pain was still there.  She could still feel the hurt in her heart.  Instead, she sat up straighter on the barstool, back straight, shoulders back, head held high.  “How’ve you been, dear?”

“I-“  Emma was cut off by her phone ringing.  She pulled it from her pocket and saw the ID.  “I have to take this,” she said by way of apology, answering the phone.  “Hey, Henry.  I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner.”

There was a pause as Emma listened to what was being said from the other end.  Regina couldn’t help but smirk as she took another sip of her drink, delighted with the hopeful thought of Emma getting reprimanded by some man on the other end of the line.

“Yes, I know I promised I would call when I got here.”  Pause.  “I’m sorry, Henry.  Can I call you in the morning?”  A longer pause.  “I love you, too. Good night.”

Regina felt her heart clench as Emma ended the phone call.  How many times had she whispered those same words to her after they had spent hours together in each other’s arms.

“Sorry about that,”  Emma said, lifting her drink and knocking back what was left of it.  She knew she was going to need it.

“You’re boyfriend?”  Regina asked.  Not that she cared.  She didn’t care.  Emma shook her head.  Okay, maybe she cared a little bit.  “Husband?”  Emma shook her head again and Regina visibly relaxed.

“My son.”


	6. Let's Talk

**_June 1999_ **

_The two teenage girls occupied the front seat of Regina’s car as they trailed behind the Mills parents, trekking their way to the familiar beach house.  Regina’s hand rested on the gear shirt, Emma’s hand resting atop hers comfortably._

_They had found a happy medium during the last year, learning when to control themselves in the presence of others and when to let loose behind closed doors.  It had taken a bit of time to find the neutral ground.  Regina had tried to pass off her love bites as bruises from Emma teaching her basketball and from unsuccessful stunts in cheerleading.  Emma had learned how to apply cover up and use make up to better disguise her marks which stood out more against her pale skin.  But after a year they had learned how to nip without leaving marks._

_This year Regina had posed the thought of her and Emma making the trip in her own car, claiming that she felt old enough to follow the family vehicle.  Cora had opposed at first, but after Henry’s convincing words she had reluctantly agreed.  Regina had also voiced that it would give her parents some alone time to spend with Zelena, Cora’s daughter from before she had met Henry.  Since her sudden appearance on their doorstep weeks ago, Regina had bonded with her half-sister, but felt like her parents needed more time with her._

_“I still can’t believe you have a half-sister.” Emma said, glancing over at Regina before leaning back and placing her bare feet on the dashboard.  “Your mom seems so uptight.  I never would’ve guessed that she dabbled around in some hanky panky before she married your dad.”_

_The olive hand slid out from between the stick shift and the blonde’s hand before shooting out sideways to push Emma playfully against the passenger side door, coffee colored eyes never leaving the road.  She did manage to glance over at Emma with a disgusted look on her face, causing the blonde to laugh at her apparent discomfort._

_“Emma, that’s gross.  I don’t want to talk about what my mother did before she married my dad.”_

_“Or who she did.”_

_“Emma!”_

_The blonde laughed again, taking Regina’s hand between both of her own and lifting it to place a soft kiss across her knuckles.  “I’m sorry, babe.  I tease you because I love you.”_

_She suddenly turned silent, the smile falling from her face as her words took a moment to register in her mind.  She noticed Regina’s other hand tightened its hold on the steering wheel briefly, but her eyes never left the road.  Always the perfect driver.  Emma swallowed, looking at her with unsure eyes.  It wasn’t something they had ever said to each other.  Her heart began to beat in her chest again as she saw the slow smile spread across Regina’s face._

_“It’s a good thing I love you, too, or this could’ve been a really awkward car ride.”_

_Emma couldn’t help but smirk at that, her hands giving Regina’s a small squeeze by way of a silent ‘thank you.’ “I can’t wait until we are alone in that room tonight.”_

_“Oh, I forgot to mention it.  Zelena will be sharing the room with us,” Regina said, her voice serious and devoid of jokes.  Emma’s mouth dropped and Regina couldn’t hold the act after that, rich laughter pouring from her lips.  “I’m just joking, Emma.  I can’t wait until tonight either.  It’s really hard to focus on driving when you are right there looking so cute and kissable.”_

_“You think I’m cute?”  Emma batted her eyelashes in an overly flirtation manner, making the brunette shake her head and laugh more._

[SQ]

_“You think they know about us?” Emma asked lying sprawled out on the bed later that night.  Her head hung off the edge of the bed as she watched Regina move about the room, unpacking her things in the inverted vision._

_“I don’t think so.  We are pretty careful about how we act around other people.”  Regina stilled as she went to put away a shirt._

_Emma rolled over so that she was on her stomach, eyes on Regina.  “It won’t always be like this.  We graduate after this year and then we’ll be in college and we won’t have to hide anymore.”_

_“I love you.”  Regina said, looking at Emma as she said it.  Their eyes were locked as she moved to the bed.  Emma pushed herself up onto her knees.  Regina cupped her face gently, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.  “I have wanted to tell you that for the longest time.”_

_She crawled up onto the bed so that they were kneeling chest to chest, noses gently bumping together as they shifted on the mattress.  Emma’s hands moved up to rest on Regina’s shoulders before they caressed her neck._

_“I didn’t want to say it to you in case you didn’t feel the same way.”  Emma said with a small laugh._

_“Since we took that step today, why don’t we take another?”_

_“You mean…?”  Emma let the question fade away as she watched Regina, searching for signs of hesitation.  She found none._

_“Unless you aren’t interested in that sort of thing.”  Regina said, shrugging one shoulder as if it didn’t matter to her._

_Emma gave her an amused smile.  “Did you really just suggest that we boink and then accuse me of not being interested?”  She couldn’t help but laugh at the notion. “Damn, Regina. There is nothing that I want more in this world.”_

_“Not even a bacon cheeseburger from Granny’s?”_

_“Not even a bacon cheeseburger from Granny’s.”_

_Regina bit her bottom lip as she gave Emma a smile.  She wanted this.  She really wanted this.  Her lips met Emma’s in a soft kiss before Emma took the upper hand and deepened it, nipping at those full lips she loved so much._

_It was an exhilarating thought, one that thrilled Emma, to know what this was finally happening.  Her hands moved from the slender neck before her, down to Regina’s shoulders, then further down to her hips, playing with the hem of her shirt._

_“If you want me to stop at any time, just say the word.”_

_Regina answered by gripping Emma’s hips and pulling them against her own, sighing softly as she began to grind against the blonde.  The act wasn’t unfamiliar to her.  Even before she had started her secret relationship with Emma, she had not been a stranger to heavy make outs or wandering hands.  Though she would never admit it to her friends out of fear of being regarded as one of ‘those’ girls, she had gotten acquainted with the male anatomy in a physical way with her last boyfriend before he had transferred schools.  She wasn’t shy with her body, not in the least.  Still, she couldn’t stop the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks as Emma pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor._

_“I’m not a virgin,” she told Emma, averting her eyes suddenly.  Why did she suddenly feel ashamed of the fact?_ Because Emma is the first person you love _she told herself._

_“Neither am I.” Emma said, gently gripping Regina’s chin to redirect her gaze to back in front of her.  She gave the brunette a warm smile._

_“I’ve never been with a girl before.”_

_“I know.  Don’t worry about it.  You can’t mess it up.  Just let me do all the work, okay?”_

_Regina nodded before Emma kissed her again.  It was all teeth, tongue, and lips; hungry.  There was a soft moan but neither could claim it as their own.  Emma kissed her way down the tanned neck she loved so much, stopping to nip the skin here and there, but always careful not to leave a mark in a visible area.  Tonight she would leave marks that could easily be hidden by clothes.  But not by bathing suits.  She smirked at the realization, her lips now ghosting over the swell of Regina’s breast, the modest amount of cleavage being magnified by the push-up bra.  Her hands moved around to unclasp the garment, tossing it to the floor after she slid it down Regina’s arms._

_She pulled back and looked at her girlfriend, her eyes taking in every detail from every inch of flawless olive toned skin to the slight flush spreading across her newly bared chest, up her neck, and onto her face. Her eyes took in the features of the brunette’s face, glancing over the scar that adorned her upper lip just to the left.  Her thumb came up to caress it with a smile as her green eyes connected with brown ones._

_“You’re really beautiful.”  Emma whispered._

_Regina flushed a little deeper, if possible, biting her lip again.  Emma pushed her to lay back on the bed, her hands going to undo the button on Regina’s shorts before dragging them down shapely legs.  Regina lifted her hips to help Emma get them off.  She gasped as Emma lay down beside her, her hand moving to cup a breast, thumb caressing a dark nipple until it rose to a stiff peak._

_“Dear God,” she breathed when Emma bent her head and captured the other in her mouth, using her tongue to manipulate this one._

_It hadn’t been like this last time, Regina mused. No.  Emma’s hands were soft and caressed her body, worshiping her like she was a piece of artwork whereas Graham’s hands had been rough and needy, never taking the time to explore her, to see what she liked.  And she was learning that she liked this.  She really liked this a lot._

_Emma released her with a soft pop before blowing gently on the moisture covered peak, grinning as she watched goose bumps rise along Regina’s skin.  She placed her lips just above the darkened skin and sucked lightly, nipping at the skin with her teeth.  She pulled away, leaving a small mark behind, just high enough that Regina’s bikini top wouldn’t be able to hide it.  She grinned as she moved back up to kiss Regina softly, drawing out their kisses as her hand abandoned its spot at her breast and trailed south, down over the stomach that was toned from hours of cheerleading practice, finger trailing over the edge of her hip bone before running along the edge of her underwear._

_“Want me to stop?” she breathed.  Regina shook her head. “You know you have to be quiet so we don’t get caught, right?” This time Regina nodded._

_“Please, Emma. I trust you.”_

_The way her eyes bore into Emma’s, she knew.  She caught her lips in a languid kiss once more as her hand disappeared behind the fabric of the only cloth left adorning Regina’s body and was greeted with a groan against her lips as her fingers slid between slick folds._

_“Jesus Christ.”_

_“I prefer being called Emma,” the blond smirked.  Her lips moved to kiss along Regina’s collarbone as the brunette fought the urge to be vocal._

_Her fingers moved along the slit, gently brushing against the prominent bundle of nerves at first before focusing on it with slow but firm circles.  Regina’s hips jerked as small zings of pleasure coursed through her.  Emma smiled against flushed skin as she felt Regina twitch against her, her finger moving down to dip at her entrance and gather her wetness on the tip of her finger before going back to circle her most sensitive area._

_Regina reached up and let her fingers thread into Emma’s hair, tightened and pulling her head away from her neck to be able to see her._

_“Emma, please,” she breathed. Panted. Hell, all she knew was that she needed the blonde oh so desperately._

_Emma gave her a small smile, their lips meeting as a single finger sank into Regina’s warmth.  She swallowed the moan that the brunette let out, her back arching as she ground her hips down against Emma’s hand._

_She let Regina adjust to the feeling, adding a second finger as she pumped steadily when the hand in her hair tugged not so gently and Regina all but growled out her demand for more.  She shifted her position against the brunette so that the heel of her hand would brush against Regina’s clit just enough to accent each thrust of her fingers._

_It could’ve been seconds, minutes, hours.  Heck, it could’ve been years.  Emma didn’t know how long they stayed locked in their motions.  She could feel Regina’s inner walls grip her fingers a bit tighter and she smirked against kiss swollen lips when she curled her fingers just right and was rewarded with a sharp inhale from the brunette._

_Regina’s breath caught in her throat as her body tensed then jerked unsteadily in Emma’s arms as pleasure washed over her.  Emma held her close, slowing her fingers to help bring Regina down from her high.  As her body calmed down from unsteady jerks to occasional twitches, Regina swallowed and focused on bringing her breathing back to normal.  She finally opened her eyes to look at a grinning Emma._

_“Emma…. That was…wow.”  She winced at her poor choice of wording.  “That is not how I wanted to say that.  There are other more accurate words.  I just can’t think of them.”_

_“It’s okay. I get it.”  She gave Regina a soft kiss, but pulled back with a questioning expression when Regina didn’t respond.  “What’s wrong?”_

_“I want to reciprocate,” Regina said softly.  “I just don’t know how to do it.”_

_Emma let out a low chuckle, reaching for Regina’s hand and lifting it to kiss her knuckles.  “Don’t worry about that right now.  You’ll have plenty of time to learn.  Right now, we should get some sleep.  It’s been a long day.”_

_The two girls changed into their night clothes before snuggling up in bed together, Emma’s arm going around Regina as she took up her big spoon position.  She placed her lips against Regina’s shoulder in a soft kiss._

_“I love you, ‘Gina.”_

_“I love you, too, Emma.”_

* * *

 

Regina finally turned to look at Emma.  The young girl she had fallen for years ago now sat beside her as a fully matured woman.  Her hair was longer, hanging to about the middle of her back.  Her choice of attire left her arms bare and Regina could make out the slight bulge of her biceps as she gripped her glass a little tighter.  She wanted to reach out and run her fingers along the toned skin but relented.

It wasn’t Emma’s appearance that finally caught her attention.  Instead it had been her words. _My son._   Emma had a son.  She was a mother.  Regina couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

“You have a son?” she breathed, her mind still not reeling from the shock of her words.  She lifted the glass to her lips and finished what was left of it, not noticing the burn as the waited for Emma’s reply.

“His name is Henry,” she said with an instant smile.  If there was one thing Emma had done right in her life, it was Henry.  There was nothing that she was more proud of than her son.  “He’ll be twelve in November.”

Regina’s mind first focused on his name. _Henry._   Like her father.  She couldn’t help but smile at the coincidence.  If her father were still around, she was sure he would’ve taken great pleasure in that fact.  Then her mind focused on his age.  Twelve years old in November.  Nine months before November is February.  And Emma had left their college in December.  Had Emma sought the comfort of another that soon after they had split?  It certainly made sense to Regina, seeing as how Emma hadn’t seemed to care that they were in a relationship while she was spending ungodly amounts of time in the dorm room of another girl.  She felt her muscles stiffen as she tried to remain neutral.

“That means you would’ve gotten pregnant not long after you left the university.”  Regina’s voice held a cold edge to it.

Emma had often thought about how a situation such as this would play out.  She knew Regina was a smart woman who would be able to quickly put two and two together to get a timeframe for Henry’s conception.  She just never imagined that they would meet up ever again, let alone at the Rabbit Hole for their reunion.

“Seems like you were indulging in the comforts of the male dorms as well as the female,” Regina added before she took a hearty gulp of her fresh drink.  When had that been placed in front of her?  This woman was going to turn her into an alcoholic before the weekend was over.

“It’s not what you think, I swear.”  Emma said with a sigh.  And she waited, because she knew what the next question would be.

“Then by all means, please indulge me on the details of how you cheated on me, left the university, then became pregnant two months later.  Because I am just dying to know.”  There was pure venom in her voice; a tactic Emma knew was in place to disguise the hurt that she was feeling. Oh God, Regina was still hurting over their messy breakup and it killed Emma, even though Regina was the one who ended everything.

“Can we go somewhere else to talk about this? Somewhere quieter?”  Emma asked, feeling intimidated suddenly by the demeanor of which Regina was showing her.  “I have a room at the B&B.”

Regina knocked back the drink, feeling much like when she was 21 and newly single.  The purse of her lips and the look in her eye startled Emma.  Who was this woman?  Because she certainly wasn’t the same person she had been twelve years ago.  She was changed.  Changed from heartbreak, Emma realized, and it was all her fault, even if she hadn’t done anything wrong.  She was still lost in her thoughts when Regina spoke again.

“Got any alcohol in that room of yours?  I feel like I’m going to need it.”

“You know I always come prepared.”

[SQ]

Twenty minutes later, the two women found themselves in Emma’s room.  They sat across from each other, the small table housing two shot glasses and the quickly diminishing bottle of liquor separating them.  Regina knocked back her fourth shot.  Or was it fifth?  She set the glass down on the table, not even flinching at the burn of the alcohol anymore.

“Talk.”

“I never cheated on you.”  Emma began, to which Regina scoffed at with a roll of her eyes.  Emma pushed forward anyways.  “I don’t know what you saw or what you heard, but I never cheated on you.”

“You never tried to defend yourself back then.”

“You never gave me the chance!”  Emma stood abruptly, looking down at Regina before she began pacing.  “Every time I tried to talk to you, to explain myself, you always went the opposite way.  I wasn’t stupid.  I knew you didn’t want me around.  That’s why I transferred out of there to another school after finals.”

Regina watched her, eyes following Emma’s movements to the left then to the right and back to the left again.  “Then go ahead.  I’m giving you the chance now.”  She leaned forward, and instead of pouring herself another shot, she grabbed the bottle and brought it to her lips, eyes still on Emma as she drank.

Emma took a breath before beginning.  “I was helping Ruby study.  She was having trouble in her political science class, which she only took because your friend, Kathryn, was in it.  Ruby didn’t know how to approach her, though, and had asked for my help with that, too.”

“I saw you kiss her.” Regina said, her voice sounding a bit strained.  Whether it was from trying to keep her emotions in check or to not let her words slur, Emma didn’t know.  Probably both.

“On the cheek.  I kissed her on the cheek.  How many times had you done the exact same thing with Kathryn?” she asked, anger suddenly washing over her.  “You ended our relationship because you thought I was cheating when I was just helping a friend in need.  How could you even think that when I only had eyes for you?”

Regina was silent as she brought the bottle back to her lips again.  Before she could take a drink, Emma snatched the bottle from her hand and gulped the last bit down.  It was her turn to drink while the brunette thought of a good enough reply.

Maybe Emma was telling the truth.  Maybe she hadn’t been cheating.  Regina had no physical proof that the two women had fallen into bed together.  All she had to go on was the sight of Ruby whispering into Emma’s ear from across the courtyard.  She remembered the way Emma had smiled before turning to hug Ruby, who had hugged her back excitedly.  Then Emma had told her something before giving her a kiss on the cheek.  Ruby had told Emma something in return before walking away.  Then Emma had begun to walk towards her, radiant smile falling as she got closer and noticed Regina’s angry and hurt expression.

She sighed as she focused on the here and now.  “That doesn’t explain your son,” she finally said.

Emma set the glass bottle down on the wooden table with a sharp _tink_.  “I’m not ready to talk about Henry.  Not until we finish with the illusion you believed about me cheating.  That had hurt, Regina.  To see the instant rejection in your eyes.  To see the one thing you told me I would never have to worry about with you.  But then you slapped me, told me we were finished, and walked away.  And right there, I had never felt so alone in my life.”

Regina felt the sting of guilt pass through her chest.  Emma was right.  She had promised the blonde that she would never be rejected.  And Regina had gone back on her word when she hadn’t let Emma explain her actions.  She turned away from her, choosing to go stand by the window and peer out at the town instead.

“I didn’t know, Emma.  All I knew was that you kept canceling plans, never telling me exactly what you were doing instead.”  Her arms moved to wrap themselves around her stomach.  “The break up may have been my fault.  I’ll accept that, and I’m sorry for it.  But you were being secretive and it just pushed all kinds of doubts in my mind.  Like, why would you want to stay with me when there was a whole university of beautiful women to pursue?”

Emma had moved closer while Regina was talking, her eyes taking in the guilty expression, the apology in her eyes, the way she wrapped her arms around herself as if that would protect her from the situation.  Regina tilted her head to the side and rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window.

“I didn’t want anyone else.”  Emma’s hand reached out to caress Regina’s cheek as she spoke.  When the brunette lifted her head to look at Emma, the blonde brought up her other hand to cup the other cheek.  “I still don’t want anyone else.”

Her thumb brushed along Regina’s cheekbone as she leaned forward, their lips brushing.  She took a half second to see if Regina would protest.  When she wasn’t met with one, she brought their lips together a second time.  It was soft.  It was sweet.  It was soon turning deep with years of pent up emotion.

Regina felt herself being pushed back, protesting with a groan as her back collided suddenly with the wall.  Her hands moved to Emma’s hips, sliding up her sides to claw at her back and shoulders.  She felt teeth nip at her bottom lip, giving a gentle tug before Emma’s lips were claiming hers all over again.

But this was wrong.  What was it Emma had said? _I still don’t want anyone else._ How could she say that after everything? Though she wanted to stay lost in Emma’s kiss and embrace, she planted her hands against Emma’s chest and pushed the blonde away.  They stared at each other, panting heavily.

Emma’s eyes widened as she reached for Regina. “’Gina, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean….”

Regina cut her off with a raised hand.  “I’m just going to leave.”  She moved towards the door, trying to keep her emotions in check.

“Regina-.”

“Goodnight, Emma.”

The door closed with a soft click behind her, leaving Emma to wander how many steps backwards that stunt had caused them.


	7. Second Prom

The hot mug of coffee, black, that was grasped firmly between her hands is what kept Regina grounded to the here and now.  She sipped the dark liquid, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of warmth spreading throughout her body.  She closed her eyes on a long, deep sigh, resting the rim of the mug against her lips as she sat on the wicker bench with her feet tucked under her on the back porch of her childhood home.

“Kathryn….” She sighed again, not knowing what to say.  Well, she knew what she wanted to say, but saying it aloud would only cement the actions into reality.  How could she go about telling her best friend what had happened between herself and the blonde the previous night?  She worried her bottom lip in thought.

“Emma must be in town.”  Zelena stepped through the backdoor, joining the women for their morning coffee as she took up residence in the lounge chair next to Regina.  The brunette’s head snapped up at the words.

“How do you know that?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“The last time you had that look on your face was because of her.”  Her English accent had not faded in her time living with the Mills family.  “Actually, I haven’t seen that face since you were in college.  When you and Emma suffered that breakup.”

Regina chocked on her coffee, setting down her mug on the small table in front of her as she used the back of her hand to cover her mouth, coughing.  She placed a hand on her chest as she caught her breath.

“How did you know about _that_?”

Zelena’s lips pulled back in a slow smile before she sipped her morning drink and answered.  “Oh, baby sister.  It was just so plainly obvious that the two of you had something going on.  Then you came home for winter break and had that same expression on your face.  You stopped mentioning her altogether.”  Zelena lifted the mug to her lips once more before adding, “And you two were none too quiet in the middle of the night at the beach house.”

Regina felt her face pale in shock and redden with embarrassment simultaneously.  Kathryn couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Zelena’s added comment.  She watched as the brunette covered her face in shame and groaned.

“You’ve known about us the whole time?”  She finally looked up at her red-haired sister with a glare.  “And you are only just now mentioning it because….”

“You haven’t looked this rough since the last time you saw Emma.  Which brings us back to my previous statement.  Emma must be in town for the reunion.”  She gave Regina a sweet smile as she sipped from her mug again.

Regina fidgeted with her fingers, thinking her words over.  “We kissed last night.”

Both women looked taken aback.  It was Kathryn who spoke first.  “Is that all that happened last night?”  If looks could kill, the glare Regina sent Kathryn’s way would’ve had the blonde on the ground gasping for breath.  “I don’t mean _that_.  I mean, did you two talk?”

Regina nodded as she picked up her mug once more.  “We started to talk at The Rabbit Hole.  Then she suggested we head back to her room at Granny’s.  I agreed.  We polished off a fifth of vodka as we talked about why we broke up.  Came to an understanding of sorts.  Then she kissed me and I left.”

“And?”  Zelena pressed.

Regina let out another sigh.  “And it was amazing,” she admitted.  “Like coming home.”

Zelena raised a brow at her sister.  “You really did love her, didn’t you?”

She couldn’t help but snort at the understatement.  “Ever wondered why past relationships never seemed to last longer than a few months?”  She quirked her own eyebrow back at her sister.

“Well, tonight should be interesting.”  Kathryn said as she stood, leaning down to give Regina a departing hug.  “I wish you the best of luck.”

Regina finished off her coffee as she watched Kathryn leave.  The upcoming night would indeed be interesting, and she had no idea how she planned on facing Emma after that kiss.

[SQ]

**_March 2000_ **

_Regina stood before the full length mirror in her room.  Her eyes stared down at her heeled feet before she dropped the skirt of her deep purple dress.  Her gaze lifted up over the straight skirt and higher still to the single armed strap of her bodice.  She lifted a hand to touch at her hair when her mother walked into her bedroom._

_“Regina, dear, don’t touch.  You’ll mess up your hair,” Cora tsked._

_Regina let out a small huff.  “I don’t want to go to the prom.  Let alone go with Daniel,” she all but whined._

_“Daniel is a very sweet boy, Regina.  It is clear that he is smitten with you.  Just give him one night.  He has been trying to go on a date with you since you were a sophomore.  A nice, single girl like you should not keep turning him down.”_

_Cora dusted off an invisible speck of fluff from Regina’s dress before turning her around and giving her an encouraging smile.  Regina forced a smile in return, resisting the urge to wince when she heard the knock on the front door. It was going to be a long night._

_[SQ]_

_She hated the feeling of his hands on her.  More importantly, she hated the fact that he kept lowering his hands towards her backside, only to return them to their previous position when she would give him a pointed glare.  He just laughed it off, pulling her closer to him until they were flush against each other.  She put her hands flat against his chest and tried to push him away.  His hands moved to cup her backside and give it a firm squeeze.  She gasped and lifted her hand, slapping him across the face before finally moving away as the song ended._

_This was not how she pictured the night turning out.  She and Emma had planned a night of movies and popcorn, using the evening to relax at Emma’s place while the Alberts enjoyed a date night.  But no.  Instead her mother had presented her with a dress and all but demanded she attend the prom with Daniel.  No amount of begging and pleading could persuade Cora.  It was her senior prom, her mother had reasoned.  She had to go._

_Regina had been quick to state that Emma wasn’t going to be attending, which Cora has scrunched up her nose and said that the statement did not surprise her.  That girls like Emma usually didn’t get asked to such social events.  When Regina has questioned what kind of girl her mother believed Emma to be, Cora had just shrugged her shoulders and said a tomboy.  It had put Regina in a sour mood._

_Now, she stood off in the corner, trying to get far away from the crowd without people noticing that she was missing.  She wrapped her arms around her middle as she leaned back against the wall.  From her position she could see Kathryn making her way up on stage and grabbing the microphone._

_“Hey there everyone.  Hope everybody is enjoying themselves tonight.  Before we really get to the partying, let’s announce our prom queen and king!”  People from all around the gymnasium clapped and cheered.  Regina rolled her eyes, thinking about how much more fun she would be having if she were curled up with Emma.  Kathryn opened up the envelope and gave the crowd a smile.  “I’m pleased to announce your prom queen and king:  Regina Mills and Daniel Colter!”_

_Regina was pulled from her thoughts when a light shone on her.  Her expression matched that of a deer caught in the headlights.  Had Kathryn really just announced that she was prom queen?  Of course, her and Daniel.  Head cheerleader and football quarterback.  She would’ve rolled her eyes if everyone wasn’t watching her as they cheered some more.  She saw Daniel walking towards her with a wide grin._

_“Come on, ‘Gina.”  He took her hand and led her back onto the dancefloor._

_“Don’t call me that,” she said, giving him a glare as he lifted her hands to his shoulders.  “You don’t get to call me that.”_

_“Oh yeah? And why not, ‘Gina?” he asked, laughing as his hands went to her waist._

_Regina turned her eyes up to glare at him.  Was this boy really that daft?  Maybe he had gotten tackled too hard during the past football season and was still suffering from a concussion.  She resisted the urge to growl._

_“I don’t like you,” she told him. “I don’t want to be here.  Certainly not with you.  I’m only doing this because you cried to my mother saying that I wouldn’t give you the time of day.”_

_“It worked, didn’t it?” he said with a smirk.  “How else was I supposed to get a date with you?  Every other time your bodyguard would cock block me.”_

_“Don’t talk about Emma like that.”  She felt her fingers twitch with her rising anger.  If she would just move her hands a few inches down, she could strangle him.  Maybe no one would notice. “Even on your best day you wouldn’t even measure up to a fraction of an inch of how she is on her worst.”  Her words were bordering on being venomous._

_“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” he laughed. “You haven’t been with anyone since Graham left, Regina.  It’s time for you to stop being such a prude and be with a real man.”  He gave her a smug expression.  “You know, you really are lucky that I’m still interested in you.  The way you always hang around with Swan, people are going to think you two are queer for each other.”_

_Regina felt her whole body tense at his words.  Her mouth fell open as she stared up at him in shock.  Had he really just said that to her?  She was Regina fucking Mills.  She didn’t have to take him talking to her like that.  She closed her mouth and took a steadying breath, readying to tell him about himself when she felt his hands shift to her neck.  The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers and he was forcing his tongue past her lips.  Her eyes widened in surprise before she jerked her knee upwards, a feeling of satisfaction washing over her as he released a pained yelp and crumpled to the floor, hands covering his groin._

_“Real men,” she spat, looking down at him, “don’t act like you!”_

_She was unaware of the dozens of sets of eyes that were glued to her as she moved from the gym at a brisk pace.  Her only thought was that she needed Emma.  She said a silent thank you that the first classroom she tried was unlocked and had a phone.  She went to it and dialed the familiar number._

_“Albert residence.  Emma speaking.”_

_She placed a hand on the desk to steady herself.  “Emma.”  Her voice cracked as she spoke and she didn’t realize that tears were streaming down her cheeks until a few drops landed on her hand._

_“’Gina, what’s wrong? I thought you were at prom?”  The amount of concern in Emma’s tone forced Regina to hold back a sob._

_“C-Can you come get me?  I’m at the school.”_

_“I’ll meet you outside the gym.  Three minutes.”  Regina could hear the scrambling noises on the other end of the line as Emma gathered her things.  There was the familiar jingle of keys.  “Regina? I love you.”_

_She couldn’t stop the sob that escaped her lips.  “I love you, too,” she breathed before setting the phone back on the hook.  Emma had said three minutes, but Regina knew better.  She had seen the blonde drive while she was distressed.  Emma was probably already waiting for her in the parking lot._

_She left the darkened classroom and moved along the hallway connected to the gym.  There was no way she was going back in there, reputation be damned.  She stepped out of the double doors into the parking lot and heard Emma’s bug before she saw it._

_The blonde threw open the door to her car as she shifted into park.  She didn’t even bother to cut the engine as she jumped from the car and wrapped her arms around Regina tightly._

_“Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked, the sound of the music coming from the gym nearly drowning her words._

_“He called me ‘Gina.  Then he kissed me.  Then I kneed him in the scrotum,” she said, burying her face against Emma’s neck._

_As soon as the blonde’s arms had wrapped around her, she felt her body starting to relax.  This was where she had wanted to be.  Instead, she had been forced to spend the evening with that boy.  He didn’t deserve to be called a man in any sense of the word.  She took a shaky breath, pulling her face back so that just her forehead rested against Emma as the blonde chuckled softly._

_“Do you always have to sound like a textbook? Say it like you mean it.  You smashed him in the dick with your knee.”_

_Regina bit her lip to try to keep from laughing, but couldn’t resist the smile that made its way across her face.  “Not really sure he has one.  I didn’t feel anything.”_

_“That’s my girl.”_

_Regina opened her eyes, finally, and looked down at the ground between them.  “Emma, you don’t have any shoes on.”_

_Emma pulled back with a sheepish smile, wiggling her naked toes for added emphasis. “You called crying.  I left in a hurry.”  She punctuated her statement with a shrug._

_The tempo of the music coming from the gym changed to something more upbeat and fast paced.  Emma found herself humming along before she gave Regina a smile and took her hand.  “Miss Mills, may I have this dance?”_

_Regina gave her a shy smile as she nodded.  “Yes, Miss Swan.  You may.”  She leaned close, her head on Emma’s shoulder as they swayed to the in sync tune of Emma humming to the music._

_“Clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade.”  Emma’s voice was soft as she sang the lyrics to the song.  “Still enough time to figure out how to chase my blues away.  I’ve done alright up to now.  It’s the light of day that shows me how.  And when the night falls, loneliness calls.”_

_Regina picked up the chorus with a smile on her face.  “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody.  I wanna feel the heat with somebody.  Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody.  With somebody who loves me.”_

_Emma gave her a gentle squeeze as they swayed slowly in the parking lot, having a prom of their own._

[SQ]

Emma stood before the bed with a towel wrapped around her body, staring down at the dress laid out before her.  She still didn’t know why she had allowed herself to be talked into bringing the outfit along.  August had started the argument with Emma standing firm in her decision against it.  It had been Henry’s comment about how the dress looked nice on her that made her crack and bring it along.  Though Henry wasn’t there to see her, she had promised him that she would wear it.  And she didn’t break promises, especially to her son.

With a sigh, she pulled the dress on and adjusted it in the mirror.  She hadn’t even remembered that she owned the pink dress until August had pulled it from the deepest depths of her closet.  She hadn’t worn it since her bail bondsperson days.  That had been over eight years ago.  She was shocked to find that the dress had still fit.  Sure, it fit a little more snug in certain areas, but she could easily justify that it was just accenting her figure.

Once she slipped on her heels and made a few laps around the room to get used to the feel of them – gosh, how she hated wearing heels – she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror before heading out to the mock prom.  She resisted the urge to snort at the thought.  She hadn’t even gone to her own senior prom.  Well, technically she had.  But it had been to rescue Regina.  Still, it didn’t count.

Tonight, in true mock prom fashion, everyone was to meet up at the high school.  Emma cursed as she drove her bug across town, feet still clad in her heels.  It wasn’t until she was standing beside her car in the parking lot did she begin to feel nervous at the thought of seeing Regina again.

Would she be given the cold shoulder and ignored all night?  No, she refused to let that happen.  Maybe Regina would be angry with her, as she had every right to be.  Emma had crossed the line by kissing her the previous night.  But it had been so long.  Too long.  And that kiss just felt right.

After finally mustering up enough nerve, Emma walked into the gym.  Her eyes adjusted to the lighting and she took in the decorations with an impressed nod.  Some people were seated at table engaged in conversation.  Some were out on the dance floor enjoying themselves.  And one very obvious Regina Mills stood off to the side, nursing a glass of wine, oblivious to those around her.

Emma knew she needed a bit of liquid courage before approaching the brunette.  She stopped by the small pup-up bar and got herself a scotch.  She needed something strong to get the courage flowing quickly.  Knocking back the drink, she thanked the bartender before making her way over to Regina.  She came to stand next to her, coming up from behind.

“I was still new to the campus,” she began softly, eyes observing the actions of the people around them, just as Regina was doing.  The brunette lifted the glass to her lips, indicating that she was listening, but did not interrupt.  “A girl in my criminal justice class invited me to a party at one of the fraternity houses.  I had a few drinks and was talking sports with this guy on the couch.  Things were fine, normal.  Then everything went black and the next thing I know I’m waking up next to the guy, naked, in one of the rooms.”  She paused, thinking her words over.  “Someone had slipped something into the drinks.  We were both drugged.  Half of the people didn’t remember the night.  A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant.  I couldn’t get rid of him.  He didn’t ask for it to happen.  So I kept on with school and had Henry and have been making it ever since.”

She took a steadying breath to calm her nerves.  The need to vomit was slowly creeping up on her.  She was surprised when Regina held out the glass of wine, offering it to Emma who gladly took it and swallowed a large gulp.  She was nervous, scared.  How would Regina react to her opening up about her son?

“Thank you for telling me about Henry.”  Regina finally said after a moment of silence.  Her voice was low, but there was something laced through her words that Emma couldn’t quite place.  “He shares his name with my father.”

Emma handed the wine glass back over to Regina, who took a small sip.  It had never crossed Emma’s mind that she had named her son after her ex-girlfriend’s father.  “I’m sorry to hear he passed,” she offered.

Regina lifted a shoulder in a half shrug.  “Thank you.  But there is no reason to apologize.  We were not in communication.  I hadn’t expected you to know.”

Distance.  That’s what was in Regina’s voice.  Emma could sense it now.  Her actions from the previous night had forced Regina to raise her defenses, and distance was the mightiest of all.  She turned to face the brunette and was glad Regina turned to face her as well.

“Regina, about last night.”

“Yes, Emma. About last night.  What was that?”  She lifted a brow at Emma in question as she lifted the glass to her lips once again.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath, thinking about what to say.  But what could she say?  _I don’t know, Regina.  Your lips just looked so kissable that I couldn’t resist._   That wouldn’t go over well.  She could faintly make out the DJ talking about the next song that was to be played.  Her ears perked up as she took in the acoustic sounds.  Though the beat was different, much slower than the original version, Emma could pick that chord progression out of the sounds of a congressional debate about controversial topics.  Her eyes turned back to stare at Regina as the singer’s voice pierced the air.

 _Clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade._   Regina’s eyes widened in realization.  _Still enough time to figure out how to chase my blues away._   Emma swallowed nervously as she extended a hand towards the brunette and visibly relaxed when Regina set the wineglass down on a nearby table and grasped her hand.  _I’ve done alright up to now._   Emma walked backwards, leading them onto the dancefloor.  _It’s the light of day that shows me how._   They took up the same position they had been in fifteen years prior, Regina’s head resting against Emma’s shoulder as they swayed.  _And when the night falls, loneliness calls._

“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody.”  Emma’s voice cracked slightly as she struggled to sing in a whisper.  “I wanna feel the heat with somebody.”  If she noticed the amount of eyes on them, she didn’t show it.  She just held Regina closer as other couples joined them on the dancefloor.  “Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody.  With somebody who loves me.”

Regina gave Emma a small squeeze as the last words of the chorus left her lips.  “Emma,” she breathed, pulling her head away to look at the blonde.  Her chest felt tight and she didn’t know how to word herself.  “I’m sorry. For…for the break up. I ….”  She struggled to find the words as Emma thumbed away a tear that she didn’t know had fallen.  “Twelve years.”

“Shhh. I know.”  Though the song was still playing, Emma lead them off the dancefloor to sit at a vacant table.  “We’re adults.  We can fix this.”

They sat there in silence for a few minutes.  Regina opened her mouth to speak when a man approached them, clearing his throat before speaking.

“Hey there, Regina.”  He gave a nod to Emma.  “Swan.”  Then he returned his focus to Regina.  “Kathryn wanted me to ask you to dance.  Something about her wanting to get a picture of the prom queen and king together for old time’s sake.”

That was when it clicked for her.  Her look of confusion was replaced with understanding at who this man was.  _Daniel._   She sat there, silent, for a moment until Emma brought her back to the present with a touch to her arm.

“I think that’s a nice suggestion from Kathryn.”  Regina gave Emma a look at her words.  “For old time’s sake,” she added as Regina narrowed her eyes and stood, taking Daniel’s offered hand and moving back to the dancefloor.

“Don’t knee me in the genitals this time,” he said, but his voice held a playfully joking tone as he gave Regina a warm smile.  She gave him one in return as she began to relax.

“No promises.  Don’t try to kiss me.”

He chuckled and shook his head as they turned and he caught a glance at Emma watching them.  “So, you and Swan, huh?”  Regina answered him with a slow nod.  “Even back in high school?”  Again, she nodded.

“Started the summer before our junior year.  Broke up half way through junior year in college.  This is the first time we see each other since.”  She was surprised by how the words fell from her lips.

“You could’ve fooled me.  The way you two danced together…. I don’t think even a wisp of air could’ve gotten between you two.  And the way she’s looking at you now.”  He shook his head.  “That’s one hundred percent love and want.”

Regina turned her head to look over at Emma, but was greeted with a view of a camera and the quick warning of “Smile!” before a bright flash momentarily blinded her.  She blinked her vision back into normalcy as the song ended and Daniel walked her back to the table she had been sitting at before with Emma.

Only now, the table stood empty.


	8. Prom Night

**_June 2000_ **

_Emma could feel the small jabs of something poking against her ribs. Groaning in protest, she moved her arms down to try to block the assault being made against her. She registered a faint giggle before feeling the bed shift and legs hugged either side of her thighs before weight was brought down on her bum. The weight shifted forward and she felt herself being pressed into the mattress._

_"Emma." The breathy whisper tickled against her ear. She shrugged a should up to brush the sensation away, earning another soft laugh from the person laying across her. "There's something I want to show you. But you have to hurry."_

_She peeked open an eye and huffed halfheartedly as she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "Gina, it's like the ass crack of dawn. Can't it wait?" She buried her face into the pillow as she waited for the reply._

_"No. If we wait then you'll miss it. Come on, Emma. Please? It's our last day here."_

_Fingers began to dig into Emma's sides once more, wigging in a successful attempt to tickle the blonde. Though she squirmed against the fingers, the weight pressing her down effective kept her pinned to the bed. She caved with another groan._

_"Alright. I'm up."_

_Regina slid off of her, taking Emma's hand to drag her from the room as the blonde used her free hand to rub the sleep from her eyes. An unstifled yawn tore from her lips as she allowed herself to be lead from the house._

_It was still dark out as they moved from the porch of the house to the dew covered grass. Regina's hand tightened as she moved faster through the grass, a small blanket clutched in her other hand._ Where did that come from? _Emma mused as she chuckled at the amount of eagerness radiating from her girlfriend._

_Finally, Regina released Emma's hand as they came to stand under a large willow tree. She looked up repeatedly to the water's horizon, unfolding the blanket before pulling Emma down onto it with her. Her arms and legs wrapped around the blonde as her chin rested on her shoulder._

_"_ _Just watch. Any minute now," she whispered._

_Emma leaned back against the body behind her, willing her eyes to remain open. In the distance, she could just barely make out the lightening of the sky. Ever so slowly, the void of black turned to a deep blue, and then brightened to a faint pink before an orange glow greeted them. The image was mirrored against the calm surface of the water. At Emma's awe-filled gasp, Regina tightened her hold briefly as she planted a kiss to Emma's cheek with a grin._

_"_ _Isn't it beautiful?" she asked in a soft voice. At Emma's nod, she continued. "I always watch the sun rise from this same spot on our last day here. I've done it for as long as I can remember. With us going off to college in August, I doubt we'll be getting much sleep."_

_Emma chuckled, her shoulders shaking as she thought about what Regina had just said. Both young women had been accepted to the same college where they planned to room together. Whether Regina had meant no sleep due to studying or satisfying insatiable sexual hunger, Emma did not know. But the words amused her all the same._

_"_ _So I wanted to share this with you," Regina continued, rolling her eyes with a smirk at Emma's actions. "To the first sunrise of the very many to come."_

_She felt Emma's finger intertwine with her own before her hand was lifted and thin lips pressed against it. The sound of a soft sigh escaping Emma's lips filled the space around them and Regina could not help but smile._

_"_ _Our place," Emma finally said, staring out as the sun peeked out more from beyond the horizon. The first few waves of warmth reached them and she could not help but snuggle closer to Regina._

 _"_ _Our place." Regina echoed._

[SQ]

The chair was empty. The table was empty. Emma had left. Gone. And she was not coming back. Regina felt her chest tightened as her eyes darted left and right, hoping to catch sight of long blonde locks.

She felt like a fool. After opening up that small part of herself, she should have known that Emma would tear away at the walls she had fought so hard to maintain in her presence, leaving her with the dreaded feeling of vulnerability. She should have seen it coming, but instead had been blinded by hope. Her arms wrapped themselves around her stomach, leaving her shoulders shrugged up as she began to retreat into herself. Stupid. That is what she was. She was lost in her thoughts and jumped when a hand gently touched her shoulder.

"Hey, I went get us some drinks. Red wine okay?"

Hand still sitting gently on the tan shoulder, Emma walked around to face Regina, two glasses of wine held in her free hand. Her smile fell, hand drawing back as she took in the look of distress painted across Regina's face.

"I…. I thought…." Regina's tongue flicked out to wet her dry lipe. Eyes darting to the drinks in Emma's hand, she gestured to one before Emma handed it over and she downed it in a few large gulps. As she brought the glass back down, she met jade colored concerned eyes. "You mentioned talking?"

Emma opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, brow furrowing when words would not come out. Regina let out a sigh and set the glass down, shaking her head.

"I don't think I can do this," she said, moving past Emma to head to the doors.

"Regina, wait!" Emma chugged her glass, leaving it there as she chased after Regina to the best of her abilities, given the heels and all.

She pushed open the double doors and moved from the gym, head turning in all directions to try to find the brunette. She saw her leaning against the building, accepting a cigarette from a former classmate before it was lit.

Emma's eyes were glued to the way her red lips wrapped around the filter of the cigarette, Regina's cheeks hallowing as she took the first drag. Her head tilted back, resting against the brick wall as she pulled the cigarette from between her lips and released the smoke with a breathy sigh.

Regina lifted the object back to her mouth, only to have it plucked from her fingers and flicked to the ground, the toe of the pink heel forcing it into the dirt. Brown eyes opened to stare into green ones with confusion before altering to one of guilt. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she tried for apologetic.

Emma shook her head with a soft sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hopefully talk to me? About everything?"

Emma tilted her head side to side as she thought. "Let's try this." She extended her hand towards Regina. "Hi. I'm Emma. I graduated fifteen years ago and currently live in Boston with my son, Henry, where I work in advertising."

Regina eyed the hand before she reached out and grasped it firmly, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "That's a lovely name. I'm Regina. I, too, graduated fifteen years ago and live in Albany where I practice law."

"You practice law? It is because you aren't good? I hear practice makes perfect." Emma teased with a small laugh. "So we graduated together. Tell me more about you in high school."

AS the two women kept up the act of starting over, they walked together, moving from the school to walk the familiar route towards Granny's until they were standing outside the Bed and Breakfast.

"Thank you for walking me back to my room, Miss Mills. That was very polite of you. Even if both of our cars as still parked at the school." Both women broke out in a fit of laughter at the realization.

"We can walk back and get them," Regina offered.

Emma shook her head. "Nah. I'll go get it in the morning." She fingered her room key. "Do you want to come up for coffee or something?"

Regina pulled her bottom lip back between her teeth and bit down softly as she thought about the situation. Part of her said to walk away. She was supposed to be making Emma regret what had happened back in college. But that had been her own fault. Though Emma had said they could fix it, she was not entirely sure that it could be accomplished. The other part of her screamed to accept the offer. The previous night's kiss had ignited a fire deep within and it needed to be stoked in a way that she knew only Emma could stoke it.

She lifted her gaze to Emma and gave a small nod, taking the offered hand and following the blonde up to the room. Just twenty four hours ago she had been in the same room, feeling nothing short of hatred towards the other woman. Now, she was nervous.

"Emma?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes, Regina?" Emma kicked off her heels and toed them over to rest against the wall so neither would trip.

"We're not up here to drink coffee, are we?"

Her gaze lowered to stare down at the floor. She did not quite understand why she suddenly felt nervous. It was not as if Emma had never seen her naked before. It was just that it had been twelve years ago. Even still, she had been with others. She still remembered the last person she had been with. Stacy had been her name. Or was it Sarah? Well, her name did not matter. What she did remember, however, was that it had been around Easter. But not the most recent one. Her eyes widened in realization. It had been over a year since she had last been with someone. The soft hand cupping her cheek brought her back to reality.

"Not really," Emma said with a warm smile, thumb brushing over Regina's cheekbone. "But if you want to just have coffee, then we'll just have coffee."

Regina answered by turning her head so that her lips pressed against Emma's palm, eyes remaining focused on the ones before her. Her hand came up to cover the one on her face, fingers, lacing together as she moved her head away.

"Now that I think about it, I don't really feel in the mood for coffee." The corner of Regina's mouth lifted, pulling her lips into a smirk. This was the Regina that Emma remembered. This was the person she had fallen for those many years ago.

Emma felt her heart clench at the thought. She could not deny the first flutters of the feeling she had not felt in so long. But looking at Regina now, she could not help it. The way those coffee colored eyes sparkled with want, steadily darkening as lust became ever present. Those full lips that parted briefly to allow her tongue to run across them before the bottom one was bitten between near perfect teeth. The way her scar seemed to be just slightly more pronounced than she had remembered.

"Then what are you in the mood for?" she baited. Emma knew. She knew by the look in Regina's eyes. She knew by the heaving of her bosom as her breathing quickened with anticipation. Emma knew the answer, she just wanted to hear her say it.

"Emma," she began, feeling the other woman's hand move to caress her neck. "You. I'm in the mood for you. I want you." Her voice. It was a voice crafted with sin, for sin, by sin.

Emma's grip tightened on Regina as she pulled the brunette closer, their lips meeting in a hungry kiss. Teeth knocked together, lips were nipped, and tongues met as a soft moan was released, neither being able to lay claim to the pleasured sound. The sound of a zipper being pulled down mingled with that of a groan as Emma felt cool air against her newly exposed back. Her hands made quick work of divesting Regina of her black dress, taking notice that she had stepped out of her heels and kicked them off to the side.

Regina's hands pushed Emma's dress from her shoulder, leaving them bare. They pushed further down to bunch the fabric at her hips before giving a firm tug and the dress fell to pool around Emma's feet. One hand moved to tangle into blonde locks while the other moved to cup Emma. She moaned softly at the damp heat the greeted her. Emma wanted this just as much as she did.

But what did it all mean? Emma had said that they could fix it, but could the blonde really still be harboring feelings for her after all those years? That did not seem like a logical theory. Surely Emma had willingly bedded other people in the past twelve years. Regina shuddered internally at the thought. Now was not the time to think about Emma in bed with other people.

In her distracted state, Regina did not notice that Emma had rid her of the black lace bra she had been wearing, nor had she noticed that thin lips were no longer pressed against hers. It was not until she felt her nipple being enveloped by a hot mouth did she realize that they were both fully naked and had moved to the bed.

"Emma," she gasped, arching up to press against the other woman's mouth. "Please don't tease." Planting her foot flat on the bed, she tensed her thigh muscle as she brought it up between Emma's legs, making contact with her sex.

The blonde moaned softly, pulling away from Regina's breasts to kiss her hard as her hips began to move, grinding against the muscle she was straddling. Her fingers trailed from Regina's sides, down across her abdomen, and further down until they passed through slick folds. Feeling the small tug on her hair, she slowly pressed two fingers into the brunette, earning a loud moan.

Regina broke the kiss, Emma's forehead coming to press against her own as they shared deep breaths to calm their burning lungs. Her eyes remained closed as she bit her bottom lip as she whimpered, hips moving against Emma's skillful fingers. Her lips parted on a gasp as Emma's thumb pressed against her sensitive nub. All focus on staying quiet flew out the window when Emma pressed her thigh to the back of her hand, using the added movement to thrust harder into Regina, her pleasure becoming more vocal.

"Look at me."

The softly spoken demand made Regina force her eyes to open, staring up into deep green orbs. But color was not the only thing Regina saw. She also saw admiration, a small spark of hope, and…. Love. There was definitely love in Emma's eyes.

One well pressed thrust and one well times brush of her thumb, combined with the look she was giving Regina, sent the woman over the edge. Her nails sunk into Emma's back as her muscled tensed, arching up from the mattress and calling out the blonde's name as her pleasure peaked. She came down from her high with soft kisses being pressed to her cheeks and forehead before a final one was pressed to her lips.

Regina opened her eyes to see Emma giving her a soft smile. Instead of giving one in return, she hooked her leg around Emma's and flipped them so that she was on top. The smile she now gave Emma was not soft and sweet. It was that of a woman on a mission to give as good as she had gotten. And what she had gotten had been beyond fantastic.

Emma knew that look. She had seen it countless times in the past. Her legs instinctively parted to allow the brunette to lie between them. Regina moved until Emma's legs were resting over her shoulder, her arms wrapping around strong thighs and a hand placed firmly on Emma's lower stomach to hold her in place. Oh, she knew she was in for it if Regina was holding her down before she even began.

Regina gave her a wink with a smirk before lowering her head and swiping her tongue through Emma's folds, not entirely surprised by the ever present arousal that greeted her.

"Fuck, Gina." Emma's head fell back onto the pillows, her hand tangling in dark locks and gripping tightly. "Just go easy. It's been a while."

Regina's tongue stilled for a fraction of a second as she took in Emma's words. So, it had been some time since Emma had last been intimate with someone as well. Regina did not feel too bad about her lacking sex life anymore. She resumed her movements with a quick flick of her tongue over Emma's clit, the grip on her hair tightening as she did so.

Emma shook her head side to side. "I'm not going to last long," she confessed. Having ground out some of her frustration against Regina's thigh, she knew it would not take much more before she was riding the waves of bliss.

Regina smiled at Emma's confession. She knew just how to get here there. Her lips wrapped around Emma's clit, giving a firm suck before soothing the bundle of nerves with her tongue as two fingers entered the blonde easily, curling up just slightly before being drawn out and thrust back in.

True to her word, it did not take Emma long. She gasped, which quickly turned into a moan, both hands being fisted into the mess of dark locks between her legs quivering legs. Her knees clamped tight around Regina's head, holding her in place as Emma rose higher and higher.

And just like that, she snapped. Her breath caught in her throat on a silent scream as she rode out the orgasm that Regina was coaxing from her. She could feel the muscles in her legs begin to twitch as she released her hold on the brunette, chest heaving as she breathed heavily.

She felt the bed shift before she felt lips capturing her own, groaning softly as she tasted herself on the other woman's lips. She gave Regina a lazy smile as she pulled back.

"You remember," Emma whispered.

Regina replied with another wink, moving so that her back was pressed to Emma's front, a strong arm wrapping around her wait. For the first time in a long time, she felt content. Satisfaction. Happiness. She heard the soft snore coming from the blonde behind her and closed her eyes.

[SQ]

Regina blinked her eyes open slowly. The room was still basked in darkness. Slowly, the faint green numbers on the digital clock came into focus. 4:17. Late enough for Zelena to question her about when she made it back to the mansion, but still early enough for her to sneak out of the room and collect her car from the school without anyone noticing. The tensing of the arm wrapped around her waist drew her back to the situation at hand.

Emma had said that they would talk. And they had talked…. Sort of. Sure, they has both played along with the starting from scratch and getting reacquainted, talking about their days back in high school. But they had not talked about them. Instead, they had fucked. That is what Regina was going with. Her reasoning being that the touches had not been tender enough to be labeled as making love. It had been fast and needy, both women needing to satisfy their sexual hunger.

But that look in Emma's eyes was what she questioned the most. How could the woman still hold any form of love for her after all this time? She, herself, had spent so many years cursing the thought of Emma. She could not jump back into it the way Emma seemed to want. Time. She needed time. And space.

Gently lifting the hand that was resting against her stomach, Regina slid quietly from the bed. Finding her dress where it had been discarded hours before, she quickly slide it on, slowly lifting the zipped until it was pulled all the way up.

"I'm sorry, Emma. Forgive me," she breathed towards the sleeping blonde. Grabbing her heels, but opting not to put them on yet, she exited the room, closing it as quietly as possible.

When she turned to walk down the hallway, she met Kathryn's form exiting the room across the hall. Kathryn's shocked expression mirrored Regina's until her lips turned up with a knowing smirk.

"Not a word," Regina whispered harshly. Kathryn lifted a brow at her friend who was pinching the bridge of her nose. "Can you give me a ride back to the school to get my car?"

With a nod, Kathryn grinned and threw her arm around her friend as they walked to exit the Bed and Breakfast. "You know I want details," she teased.

Regina shook her head. She did not want to give her friend the details of the previous night. Retelling them would only make her feelings for the blonde to grown, something she was not quite ready for. Not again.


	9. Morning After and Three Weeks Later

The sun coming in through the window felt warm against her skin, but the spot on the bed next to her felt cold. And empty. With one arm still wrapped around the pillow, Emma reached out with the other, hoping to come in contact with skin as warm as the sun's rays. Instead she found cold sheets.

Emma's eyes popped open, hands planting themselves against the mattress as she pushed herself up onto her knees. Her dress still sat in a heap of pink material a few feet from the bed. Her heels were still kicked against the wall. But there was no pair of black heels next to them anymore, nor was there a black dress mirroring her own. The only evidence of Regina having been there was the faint stain of lipstick against the pillowcase, having been rubbed off from what had smudged onto Emma's lips from their passionate actions.

Maybe there was a note, Emma thought as she rose from the bed and pulled on jeans and a tank top. Her eyes scanned the small room. Nothing. She felt a small twinge in her chest. Well, if no note, then that must mean that Regina was planning on talking to her at the brunch. Eyeing the clock, she let out a low curse. If she did not hurry, she would miss it.

Minutes later, she entered the dinner, eyes taking in every occupant. There were plenty of people that she knew and a few that she didn't. But there was no Regina. Emma knew she wasn't there, could feel it deep within, making the twinge in her chest intensify. Her eyes fell upon the next best person, Kathryn. As she approached the blonde, she was greeted with a smirk.

"Didn't expect to see you up and socializing after your long night." Kathryn teased, removing her purse from the stool next to her so that Emma could sit.

Emma felt her cheeks warm up as the blush colored them a nice rosy pink. "Um, yeah. Anyways, have you seen or spoken to Regina this morning?" She was glad when Granny placed a mug of cocoa in front of her, hands instantly wrapping around the warm ceramic cup.

"I called earlier to try and get some details out of her," she said with a nod. "But she wouldn't talk. I asked if she would be coming to this brunch thing and she said that she was already headed home."

Emma's grip on the mug tightened. Regina had already left Storybrooke, heading back to Albany. There was no note, no parting words, no finality on what was going on between them. She swallowed hard before taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Did she say why she left so early?" Emma tried to make the question sound as nonchalant as possible, but on the inside she was crumbling. The hand touching her arm made her look from the mug to the woman sitting next to her.

"She's scared, Emma," Kathryn said softly. She could see the hurt in Emma's eyes, the vulnerability that she knew the blonde was facing. "She didn't say it herself, but I know it's true."

Emma chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about what she wanted to say. Her emotions were everywhere. First, she was hurt. Even if she didn't want anything to do with her, the least Regina could've done was left a note telling Emma to go fuck herself. Instead, there had been nothing. She felt guilty. Had she done something wrong? Had Regina felt forced to do what she had done the previous night? She felt nervous with what she was about to share with Kathryn. She was scared to open herself up.

"I have a son, Henry, who will be twelve in November. I got pregnant for him the February after I left college." At Kathryn's nod to continue, Emma pressed forward after letting out a breath. "And last night was the first time I've been intimate with someone since then."

The sound of the fork clattering against the plate made Emma jump, nearly knocking her drink over as she did. Kathryn blinked at her in disbelief, shaking her head as she whispered a steady string of 'no's.

"You mean to tell me that you haven't," She made a hand gesture, "in twelve years?" Emma winced at Kathryn's words. It sounded a lot worse when someone else said it aloud. "Why?"

"Because I've loved her since I was sixteen?" Emma offered. "I loved her in high school. I loved her in college, even after the stupid breakup that was really just an understanding. I loved her when I found out I was pregnant with Henry, and I couldn't stop myself from wishing she was there to experience it with me. And I sure as hell loved her last night when I fell asleep with her in my arms and the thought that we could fix things on my mind."

She wasn't sure what to expect when she looked at Kathryn, but she knew that a knowing smirk was definitely not on the list. She also didn't expect the woman to pull out a small piece of paper from her purse to scribble some information down on it before passing it to her.

"I think you need to let her know that."

Emma snatched up the piece of paper and gave Kathryn an awkward hug as she moved from the diner to grab her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she started the short trek to the high school to collect her car.

The yellow bug puttered its way out of town. When Emma came to the fork in the road, she hesitated. Left would bring her back to the interstate, back to Boston. But right would take her…. Flicking her blinker up, Emma turned right. It was a risky idea, but Kathryn had told her that she needed to tell Regina how she felt. And this was one way she knew would speak volumes.

[SQ]

**_Late November 2002_ **

_"_ _I just feel like maybe she is hiding something, Kat." Regina said as they walked from the large brick building that held their political science class. She clutched her books tighter against her chest. "What if she's cheating on me?"_

 _"_ _Oh please. I've seen the way she looks at you. She loves you entirely too much to cheat on you." Kathryn looked across the courtyard and smiled when she saw Emma on the other side talking to a friend. She lifted a hand and waved at the two women._

 _"_ _I'm telling you Rubes. Just ask her out. The worst that she can do it tell you np." Emma said, nudging Ruby._

 _"_ _Yeah but just look at her. She's gorgeous." Ruby couldn't help but grin as her eyes took in Kathryn's form from across the way._

_Emma leaned close to Ruby's ear. "Then you better get a move on it before someone else does." She gave Ruby a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Go get her."_

_Ruby grinned and headed off in the direction that Kathryn had walked off. Emma shook her head with a smile and a roll of her eyes before walking over to Regina. The closer she got, the more she could see of her girlfriend's pained expression. Her smile faded instantly._

_"_ _Gina, what's wrong? Are you okay?"_

Smack! _The eyes that were once wide with concern were now wide with shock as Emma reached up to cup the red mark forming on her cheek. Regina's hurt eyes now held anger in them, the vein in her forehead more prominent than ever._

 _"_ _Emma Swan, I never want to see you again. We. Are. Through." Regina punctuated her last words with pointed jabs into Emma's chest. Her lip twitched just under her scar as she turned and stormed off in the direction she had come. The tears that she had managed to hold back fell freely as she quickened her steps. Her once annoyance that her and Emma had lived in single dorms across the hall from each other suddenly now felt like a God-send. She wouldn't have to see the woman if she didn't want to, and she most certainly did not want to._

_Emma still stood at the edge of the courtyard, watching the quickly retreating form of her girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend now. Heart beating wildly in her chest, she looked around to see if anyone had witnessed the exchange. When she saw no looks out of the ordinary, she gave her swollen cheek on last rub before heading back to her dorm. Maybe after a few hours she would be able to talk to Regina about what happened._

[SQ]

It had been three weeks since the reunion. Three weeks since Regina had left her hometown in the early dawn hours. Three weeks since Emma.

The brunette pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh as she sat behind her desk at the office. Three long, miserable weeks, filled with stray thoughts and unwholesome dreams about the blonde. Her fingers moved to her temples, rubbing them in an attempt to will away the headache she could feel coming on. The knock on her door made her groan.

"Kathryn, I have told you countless times that I do not wish to discuss Emma with you."

Opening her eyes, she expected to see her colleague standing there with a knowing smirk. Her expectations had been met, as usual. What she was not expecting, however, was the large flat package covered in brown paper that Kathryn held.

"You have mail," the blonde woman said, setting the package down gently on the desk in front of Regina. "There was no return address."

Regina eyed the package suspiciously with no immediate thought of who it could be from or even what could be hidden underneath the brown paper. Running her finger along the seam, she began to separate the tape from the paper. Lifting the paper to reveal what was underneath, she was greeted with a cardboard back to what she could only guess was a picture frame. Who would send her a picture? Especially one so large. Whatever it was could easily be hung on the wall behind her desk to occupy the empty space.

Her eyes caught a glimpse at some scribble off to the side of the panel. "If you want to talk, you know where to find me," she read, lifting the picture so that the edge sat on the desk, the actual picture finally being revealed to Kathryn who gasped and covered her mouth.

"Regina, it's beautiful," she whispered, completely mesmerized by the display. At Regina's wide-eyed look of confusion – because what could possibly be that appealing to the eye – Kathryn reached out and turned the picture around for Regina to see, laying it flat on the desk.

The edges of the picture were dark in color. Not quite black, but more of a deep purple to royal blue. The more the person looked to the center of the photograph, the lighter the colors became, morphing from the blue to light oranges and pinks. There was just a hint of yellow as a sun barely began to peak over the water's edge. The image of the sky was mirrored against the water's surface.

This image, Regina knew it well. It was the same scene that she had witnessed every year on her last morning at the old beach house. She knew exactly where the picture had been taken. As she looked closer, her finger began to run over the glass. She could just faintly make out the hatch marks where the colors blended together. It wasn't a photograph. It was a drawing. In the bottom right corner, written in contrasting white pencil were the initials "ES' with "May 2015" directly beneath it.

Regina let out a gasp of her own, fingers moving to cover her lips as she glanced from the picture to her friend and back again. "Kathryn…."

"It's from her, isn't it? She took the picture?"

Regina shook her head slowly. "She drew it."

"So what are you going to do?" Kathryn pressed, seeing the look of conflict in Regina's eyes. She knew her friend and she knew her well. Despite what the brunette was thinking, she knew what the end result would be.


	10. Back To The Beach House

"Well, kid. Here we are. Our new home."

"It's really… big."

Emma let out a small snort quickly followed by a light chuckle. Henry was right; the house was huge. It was more than spacious enough to house the two of them comfortably. It had been a rash decision on Emma's part, one hundred percent spur of the moment, but she had yet to regret it since contacting the realtor almost a month prior.

When she had come to the fork in the road while leaving Storybrooke after the reunion, she knew it may not have been a good idea to turn right and head towards the old beach house on the coast. Yet, Kathryn's words fueled her actions. _I think you need to let her know that._ Let Regina know that she still loved her. What better way to show her than by going back to the place where it had all began. To go back to their spot. And not just take a picture, but to sketch the image exactly as she had remembered seeing it on her last visit there. It was the only way she thought of that could convey her feelings accurately.

Apparently, it hadn't been enough. She had sent the picture to New York the same day she had contacted the realtor about buying the place. The old home had been in rough condition, but a little elbow grease and love had fixed it right up. All it was lacking was a fresh coat of paint on the exterior walls. Something her and Henry would be getting to in the coming days. Slowly, but surely, they had brought smaller items up from Boston. Now they had brought the last of the things in a small moving truck and were ready to unpack the last of their things.

It was just past lunch when Emma suggested they take a break from unpacking and eat something. As she was standing at the stove, attempting to stir a pot with a spatula, she realized the box of kitchen utensils was still sitting out in the front yard.

"Hey, kid! Can you go get the box of kitchen stuff from outside? I can't leave the stove."

"Sure, Ma!" Henry called as he moved from the living room to the foyer, opening the front door. He froze on the spot, staring out into the yard.

There was an unfamiliar car parked next to the old yellow bug; a black Mercedes. Standing next to the car was a dark haired woman dressed in a black pencil skirt with a deep red blouse and heels. She was dressed far too nice for the casualness that the house exuded. Henry finally blinked as the woman cleared her throat before speaking.

"Is…. Is Miss Swan available?" she asked, clearing her throat once more in her nervousness. She looked the young boy up and down. Well, not so much a young boy as he was on the outskirts of becoming a young man.

Remembering his manner, he spoke. "Hi. My name is Henry. May I ask your name?" He gave her a lopsided grin. And that's how she knew he was Emma's son, despite him having stated his name.

The woman gave him a warm smile as she stepped closer to the house, the fresh gravel crunching under her heels. "It's nice to meet you, Henry. My name is Regina Mills."

Henry's eyed widened, making Regina's smile fall. "It's you," he whispered, taking a step back into the house.

Regina halted her movements. He knew who she was? How much had Emma told him? Maybe she should just leave. Henry's sudden shout nearly made her jump.

"Ma, she came!"

There was a moment of pause before Regina could just faintly pick up the sound of someone walking through the old house. _She always had a heavy step_ , she thought before the blonde woman appeared behind Henry, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you go finish unpacking your room?" she suggested, eyes focusing on the brunette at the foot of the steps.

"But Ma. It's her, right? The lady from the reunion, the one from high school?"

"Now, Henry."

The boy huffed as he turned and disappeared into the house. Emma folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorframe, eyes on Regina. Watching. Waiting. Regina looked down, playing with her nails before looking back up at Emma. Still, the blonde waited.

"He has your smile." Regina finally said.

"I know."

"You bought the beach house."

"I know."

"You sent that drawing."

"I know."

"I still love you."

"I know." Emma's statement made the brunette pause, staring up into green eyes that twinkled in amusement at her shocked expression. When greeted with silence, she continued. "It took you long enough to come up here."

"It is a long drive up from Albany, Miss Swan," Regina said, holding her head high as she walked up the steps to come to stand on the front porch.

"Miss Swan, really?" Emma rolled her eyes as she stood up straight, walking out to meet Regina. "We've been through too much for you to call me Miss Swan. Besides, you just admitted that you still love me."

She felt hands grip the front of her shirt before she felt herself being pulled forward, full lips pressing against her own with "Do please shut up, Em- _ma_ " being muttered. Emma gently pushed her away, their eyes locking.

"Well hello to you too, Regina," she said, both women smiling at one another. "Do you want to come in? I was just starting on lunch," Emma offered, stepping to the side so that she wasn't blocking the open door.

[SQ]

The sun had set a small handful of hours before, yet the two women still found themselves sitting on the back porch of the old house, wine glass and beer bottle being held by its respective owner. The sounds of palms making contact with skin in light swats was soon followed by almost girlish giggles nearly made the women forget the uneasiness between them that was the high school reunion.

"Why did you leave?" Emma asked after a few minutes of content silence. Her gaze was set firmly on the harbor in the distance, watching the boats come and go. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a hefty swig. "Why didn't you leave a note?"

Regina sighed softly before chewing her bottom lip. She pulled her feet up to tuck them beneath her on the porch swing, having discarded her heels earlier in the evening, and ran her finger along the rim of the wineglass. She had expected the question at some point, but had not figured it would be posed while they were enjoying themselves. The afternoon and evening had been nice, almost as if things had never gotten rocky between them. It had felt like the way things should have been had they never broken up.

"I was scared, Emma," she finally answered, her voice soft as she spoke. "I was confused and scared and I thought that there was no way you could still have feelings for me after so long. It just didn't seem possible. Especially since I was the one who, stupidly, ended things." Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip to give herself the liquid courage to continue.

"I didn't want to admit to myself that old feelings were resurfacing. That would make them real and that was something I was not ready to face. So I left. I ran back to my empty apartment, to my overly demanding job, to what I had called normal for the past ten years. Then," she let out a small laugh with a shake of her head, "you sent me the picture of our spot."

"Was it too much?" Emma finally spoke up. She had been sitting silently, letting Regina say her fill on the topic. She hadn't actually meant to interject, but she just had to know.

"No." Regina shook her head. "I think it was just what I needed. That, and the fact that Kathryn wouldn't stop harassing me about it."

Emma chuckled. "She's the one who gave me the address to the firm. Seems like she was pushing for us to get back together."

Regina looked up from her wine. "Is that what we're doing? Getting back together?"

"I mean, I'd like to give us another shot. If you'd like to, that is. I don't want to push you or make you feel pressured or anything. But I mean, if you do say yes, and don't think that you have to, that maybe we could have better communication this time and –."

Regina placed a finger over Emma's lips, effectively shutting her up with an amused expression. Once she was sure Emma wouldn't continue her rambling rampage, she lowered her finger a lifted her glass.

"To Kathryn. The not so technical reason we broke up and they very technical reason we are getting back together," she toasted.

"To Kathryn," Emma echoed, softly clinking her bottle to the wineglass before finishing off the last of it. "Are you staying anywhere? It's too far of a drive to head back to New York."

Glass halfway to her mouth, Regina paused. "I didn't make any reservations. I left in such a haste that I didn't even bother to pack a bag."

Emma laughed, a good deep from within laugh. The once highly organized Regina that she had remembered from their youth had made the lengthy trip to her childhood vacation home without a thought as to actually plan the trip.

"You can stay here. There are more than enough rooms, as you know. And I'm sure I have some clothes that are up to your standards. One condition though."

Regina had huffed at Emma's comment about the standard of the clothes but was now eyeing the blonde in curiosity, eyebrow raised. "Oh? Well, what is the condition?

The smirk should have given it away. The twinkle in her eyes should have given her some indication of what was to come. "You have to sleep in my room. In my bed. Like old times." Emma smiled before it transformed into a cheesy grin. She thought she had won that round, but the look in Regina's eyes told her different.

"Old times like the first time I invited you out here, or old times like every year after that?" Regina asked with a raised brow. The grin from Emma's face fell as she contemplated the question.

She reached for the wineglass in Regina's hand, lifting it from the brunette's grasp. "That's your call, Miss Mills. After all, I wouldn't be a very good host if I didn't at least attempt to honor your requests." There was a wink as she lifted the glass to her lips and drained the last of the wine.

"Well I most certainly did not drive all this way for nothing."

That was all the answer Emma needed. Standing, she grabbed Regina's hand and pulled the woman against her, wrapping her arms around the slim waist with a smile. A soft peck was placed upon full lips.

"As you wish. Like I said, I'd hate to be a disappointing host."

Regina turned from Emma's embrace, hands still clasped together, as she lead them back into the house. It had been years since she had been there, but she led them to the master bedroom with ease, her only difficulties coming in the form of distracting kisses from one overly eager blonde.

"I see some things never change," she laughed, pulling Emma into the room and shutting the door softly. "Which room is Henry's? I don't want to wake him up because someone is too vocal." Her eyes flashed innocence as she lifted a finger to boop Emma on the nose.

"The one we used to share." Emma said, wincing when Regina smacked her in response. "What was that for?"

"You let your son claim the room that we…. That we…."

Emma saved her from trying to formulate the right words. "He chose that room all on his own. He insisted that it was the one." She stepped closer to the brunette. "I'm beginning to think that you spend too much time in the courtroom. All this arguing is uncalled for. From now on, you're on vacation."

"Is that so?" Regina's fingers played at the hem of Emma's shirt. "And you plan on helping me relax, I take it?"

"Oh, I'll help you relax alright." The smirk that graced her lips told Regina everything she needed to know about the rest of the evening. And for once, the thought of being alone with Emma didn't terrify her.


	11. Epilogue

The last twelve months had been good to the two women as they set out in their new, but not so new, relationship. August brought with it the usual back to school rush to get supplies before classes began in early September. Regina hadn't stopped scolding Emma on her lack of organizational skills for weeks following Henry's first day back.

October brought with it Halloween, and with it the insistent begging from Emma that Regina dress up with her and Henry. They had gone with a fairy tale theme. Henry dressed as a young prince, complete with a nifty homemade wooden sword that Emma had helped him make. Emma had chosen to dress as a knight. Regina's knight in shining armor, to which the brunette had amended it to her dork in aluminum foil. And Regina had enlisted the help of Kathryn to sew together an ensemble fit to make her the Evil Queen. The dark outfit with the high collar paired well with her deep red lipstick and smoky eye makeup, causing Emma to spend more time focusing on her appearance rather than Henry who was skipping from house to house collecting candy.

November toted Thanksgiving along with it, and also the best damn turkey Emma had ever had the pleasure of tasting. She knew Regina was a good cook, but the holiday meal really put it into perspective for the blonde when her and Henry kept returning to the kitchen to snack on the leftovers after previously complaining about being too full for dessert; apple turnovers, which they happily consumed anyways.

Christmas greeted them in December with the nervous question of asking Regina to move in. Emma's reasoning had been logical for once. Albany was too far away and the frequent trips were putting entirely too many miles on each of their vehicles. Regina had voiced her opinion that the bug was too old to make the trips and Emma had retaliated with it was unfair that Regina should be the one to constantly make the trip. She had then supplied the thought that Regina could do the same job in Storybrooke, to which the brunette had declined and instead ran for mayor, following in her father's footsteps, to which she has won.

The new year was brought in with midnight kisses and 1 AM caresses. The almost constant flurries of snow soon gave way to resilient blades of grass poking up through the melting ice, bringing springtime to the small town and the happy couple that lived just outside of it. The cool days of spring quickly had summertime nipping at its heels.

And it was early one June morning that found Regina spread out on the bed, face down, with a familiar weight pressing against her back. Small jabs to her ribs made her groan, squirming in a half-hearted attempt to escape the probing fingers. A ghost of a breath against her ear had her shrugging her shoulder up to rub the feeling away.

"Go away, Emma," she mumbled against the pillow. "I'm too tired to go another round."

The blonde chuckled softly as she sat up, straddling the back of the brunette's thighs. Her hands touched at the naked skin at the small of Regina's back before working their way up her spine and outwards to her shoulders.

"I like the way your mind works. But that's not what I'm waking you up for." Her hands moved to plant themselves against the mattress as she leaned forward to place a light kiss on the tanned shoulder. "But if you don't hurry and wake up, you'll miss it."

"It's still dark out, isn't it?" Regina brought her arms up and under the pillow, crossing them as she began to stretch and slowly wake up.

"Yes it is."

"You're about to take me to our spot, aren't you?"

"Yes I am." Emma grinned, swinging her leg over Regina to stand next to the bed. She swatted Regina's naked behind, earning a shocked gasp as she pushed herself up quickly to stare at Emma with wide eyes.

"Miss Swan!"

"Good, you're up." Emma grabbed the robe off the foot of the bed and held it out to Regina, laughing softly at her skeptical expression. "Don't worry. No one is going to see you to know you won't have anything on underneath."

With a roll of her eyes, Regina rose from the bed and snatched the silk robe from Emma's grasp, pulling it on and tying a knot in front to keep it closed. She gestured towards the door. "After you."

Emma smiled and took Regina's hand, leading her downstairs and out to their spot, much like Regina had done to her all those years ago. The cool wood of the porch gave way to the cold morning dew that painted their feet and toes in moisture. The old willow tree greeted the couple at the end of the well-worn path, a blanket already set out with a thermos and two coffee mugs.

"You've been awake for a while," Regina observed.

Emma lowered herself onto the blanket, pouring them each a mug of still hot coffee before relaxing against the trunk of the tree. Regina curled up between Emma's legs, leaning back against her chest. They sipped their coffee in content silence as the first rays of sunlight began to peak over the horizon's edge.

Regina smiled against the rim of her mug as she took a sip, hand reaching for Emma's so they could lace their fingers together. And Emma waited. Waiting for the moment, that perfect moment, when the sun would be at the perfect height so that the rays would catch the –. Regina's soft gasp made her smirk into dark locks.

"Emma," Regina breathed. "Is that a –"

"Yes it is."

"Are you planning to –"

"Yes I am."

The early morning's sunlight struck the metal of the ring hanging from a thin string, causing it to glisten. It twirled slowly in one direction, then the other as the tension became too much.

Emma pulled Regina closer to her, kissing her cheek before resting her chin on her shoulder, both sets of eyes locked on the small piece of jewelry. This was it. Everything was perfect.

"There is nothing I want more than for you to be my wife," she said softly.

There was a small moment of pause. "Not even a bacon cheeseburger from Granny's?" Regina whispered, afraid anything louder would ruin the moment.

Emma couldn't help but grin. "Not even a bacon cheeseburger from Granny's," she agreed, reaching for the ring and tugging it lightly to pop the string. She turned it over in her fingers before Regina took it and slid it on her finger, holding her hand out in front of her to get a good look at it. The light of the sun reflected off the modestly sized red stone that was centered between two small diamonds on a silver band.

"Do you like it?" Emma whispered against her ear. "I felt like red really fit you. It made me think of your lips."

Regina turned in her arms, setting her mug down on the grass at the edge of the blanket, looking at Emma with a raised brow. "My lips?"

Emma nodded with a smile. "Yeah. You always wear that red lipstick." She lifted a hand to cup Regina's cheek, her thumb moving to brush over full lips. "It makes your lips look that much more kissable."

Regina smirked, opening her mouth to gently catch Emma's thumb between her teeth, flicking her tongue against it once before releasing it from her teeth and kissing the pad of it. Her hands moved to tangle in Emma's hair, pulling the grinning blonde closer to kiss her softly. Each time they pulled away before coming back together once more, their kisses grew hungrier, more heated, more needy. It wasn't until Regina lay on her back beneath Emma, robe hanging off of her, and Emma straddling her in just her underwear, did they break the silence with words instead of heavy breaths and soft whimpers.

"Yes," Regina breathed, smiling up at Emma as she cupped cheeks tinted with a faint blush.

"Yeah?" Emma asked. Her eyes lit up at the confirmation that finally left her girlfriend's lips.

Regina nodded, biting her bottom lip as she glanced at the ring before looking back at Emma. "Who would've thought that after all this time we would be here?"

"We're right where we should be."

Regina brought Emma's face down to kiss her once more. "Well, Miss Swan," she said, eyes darkening and voice dropping to a seductive tone. "Let's finish what we started before someone comes along and catches up in a very compromising position."

Emma grinned, kissing Regina deeply as she put all her love and emotion into the kiss. It had been 18 years since their first kiss, 16 years since they graduated from high school, 13 years since they had broken up, and one year since they had gotten back together. Finally, it was all worth it. Because after all that time, things were finally the way they should have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all she wrote, folks! Hope you all enjoyed the journey. Let me know what you thought.


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